See ya, Buddy
by OtakuScum
Summary: After Axel makes a promise to Roxas, Lea ventures to separate the love of his life from Sora after he became a part of the keyblade wielder. He vows to stop at nothing to bring Roxas back, willing to risk life and limb. But are his attempts futile? Is it even possible to keep his promise? Pairings: Akuroku/Lea x Roxas(main pair) Soriku,Zemyx/MydeXIenzo(Rated M for profane language)
1. Goodbye(prologue)

**Chapter 1**

** "**Goodbye"

* * *

_**~PROLOGUE~**_

* * *

"Ya know Roxas, I'm really gonna miss this." Axel said as he took a bite out of his ice cream. Roxas's head dropped as his glance shifted to the ice cream in his hand. The two sat atop their usual spot with their feet dangling high above Twilight Town. The town was quiet as usual. The trains were coming and going from Sunset Station like any other day. In the distance, three children could be seen. They were making those 'ha ha' sounds, they must have been having fun…

The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, staining the sky with warm colors. "Hey Roxas, bet you don't know why the sun sets red…" The blond looked to the redhead and cocked an eyebrow. Without drawing his eyes away from the sunset or even waiting for a response, the man continued. "You see, light's made up of lots of colors… And out of all those colors, red's the one that reaches the farthest." The man took another bite and looked to the boy as he spoke. "Like I asked, know-it-all!" The two shared a chuckle and continued to eat.

They knew their time left together was coming to an end. As the blond lifted his hand to take another bite out of the blue icy treat, he noticed his hand began to fade. "I guess that means I've gotta go back to Sora…" The redhead dreaded those words. There was still so much to be done… so much he had to tell Roxas. "Man, this really sucks…" The redhead was holding back tears as he spoke.

The two bodies began to fade faster and faster. They were disappearing. "Hey Rox?" The blond looked over to the man. "Do you ever think that maybe, just maybe, we all have hearts?" The boy thought for a second. "I don't know… I can't just look inside…" As Roxas looked up at Axel, he noticed a tear slipping down his fading face. "But I know one thing…" Roxas added. "You have to have heart to cry." And before he knew it, he found tears falling from his own eyes as well.

Axel and Roxas had almost completely faded away. In the last moments of their existence, Axel looked at Roxas intently. "I promise you, I'll find a way. One day, We'll each be our own person. We'll be real people." The blond simply smiled and nodded. Axel struggled to say a goodbye. "See ya, buddy." Tears were relentlessly streaming down both men's faces. In a shaky tone, Roxas managed to respond. "See you."


	2. Awoken

**Chapter 2**

"Awoken"

"Roxas?"

Foggy vision began to clear as the room came into focus.

"Huh? Wh-where am I? What happened?"

The man looked around at the foreign surroundings. He was in a large room. It seemed to be some sort of laboratory. In front of him stood a mirror. The man walked to the reflection and stared at the image it produced. The man in the mirror was a tall, slender man with spiky red hair and eyes as green as emeralds. A large spindly hand raised to his bony cheek, stroking the unmarked skin.

"We're people again…"

The redhead frantically looked around for the boy.

"Everyone's here. Xehanort, Braig, Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, Iza, Myde, Lourd, Lumaria, Arlene… Where the hell is Roxas?"

All the other members were still unconscious. Everyone was here. Everyone except the one person the man wanted to see most.

_"__Let's meet again, in the next life."_

_"__Yeah, I'll be waiting."_

_"__Silly, just because you have a next life…"_

But Roxas wasn't there waiting for him. The boy had promised he'd be here waiting. But he wasn't. The man thought for sure it would have been the boy to get another chance…Not him.

"Roxas! Roxas!"

The large laboratory-like room contained twelve people. One of those twelve was not the blond the man so desperately wanted to see.

"Why? Why isn't Roxas here? Everyone else is back. Why isn't he?"

With all the commotion the man was making, the eleven other bodies began to stir. Each of them beginning to wake from their mysterious slumber.

"Ienzo! Ienzo, where's Roxas? Why isn't he here?"

The teen winced at the bright light of the room and looked to the redhead.

"Roxas was a special case. He wasn't exactly eliminated like the rest of us."

The man's expression contorted to convey complete confusion. But as the man spoke, confusion was replaced by anger.

"What do you mean? What happened to Roxas?!"

The younger sighed and shifted his gaze to the concrete floor below him.

"He merged with Sora, making his return… Impossible."


	3. The Journey Begins

**Chapter 3**

"The Journey Begins"

_Lea POV:_

"It's not impossible… nothing's impossible…" I mumbled those words over and over to no one but myself. It had been three days now that I had left the others to uphold my promise. I _would_ bring Roxas back. No matter what the cost.

I've been traveling non-stop. From train to train, then miles on foot. I had heard a tip that the key blade wielder and his silver-haired pet were off at Yen Sid's taking some 'test of the best'. Given that was the only lead I had so far, I decided to pay them all a little visit.

"Just a few more miles…" I said to myself once again, scanning the vacant train station. "One ticket to Twilight Town please." I look to the woman behind the glass. "That'll be 1,000 munny." A little enthusiasm maybe? I reach into the pocket of my long black coat, pulling out a small pouch. I toss it to the counter, it landing with the sound of a slur of clanging coins. The woman handed me my single ticket in exchange for the munny. "Thank you, happy travels." God, could she be any more sassy? I give the bitch a loose smile and a quick nod, tucking tail and getting the hell away from her.

As my ride pulled into the station, I hurriedly made my way into the car. Taking a seat, I slumped down. My tall, slender body sunk into the stiff bench. I hadn't slept since I'd been human again. Maybe I could catch a little shut-eye. This ride _was_ going to be the longest one yet…

But it seemed I no longer had a choice. My body was forcing me into sleep as my eyelids tripled in weight. Darkness took hold as they closed. Before I could protest, I was drifting off into a dreamland.

_My feet were hanging high above Twilight Town, slurping up some sea salt ice cream as the sun began to sink below the horizon… It was just like old times. I soak it all in. The way the trains sounded clacking along the rails, the clock striking as the time passed, children laughing… It was all so… cathartic. _

_"Axel…" I jumped at the call of my own name. Was I not alone? I turn my head, only to find the love of my life sitting before me. I swear my jaw dropped to the ground far below me at the sight. "Roxas!" My emerald eyes gleamed like the fire within me. _

_"Axel, you made a promise…" I could feel those damn tears trying to push their way out of my eyes. "I-I know, Rox. I swear to you, I'll give whatever I have to to keep that promise. If it costs me my life, then so be it. I'll get you back, I swear." The boy just shook his head, blond spikes swaying with it. He let out a little smile. God, that smile… "Ax, you can't. There's no way to-" I had to stop him. "Rox, I made you a promise! And I'll be damned if I don't hold up my end of that promise!" Just another little smile. God, this boy will be the death of me. "Sora and I have merged. I'm a part of him now. He needs me, Axel." I couldn't hold back those damn tears any longer. "Roxas, _**_I_**_ need you!" He just shook that cute little head of his once again. "No, Axel, you don't. You'll be fine…" God, have I ever cried this hard in my life? I lifted my arm, wiping away the tears with my black sleeve. I drew in a sniffle, attempting to compose myself. "Roxas, whether you like it or not, I'm getting you back. Nothing, do you hear me, _**_nothing_**_ will stop me from bringing you back to me. Not a single damn thing."_

_The boy was fading again. Damn kid's always slipping out of my grasp… "Roxas?" It was now or never I suppose. "Yeah, Axel?" I turned to the boy, grabbing his face, and assertively pulled it to my own. As our lips met one another viciously, I felt his smaller body tense. I kissed him passionately, knowing all too well this may be my only chance. It could have been my imagination, but I could have sworn he was kissing me right back. As I pulled away, I saw no one. He left me…again. _

_"I love you Roxas…" _

_But I smiled to myself. I knew I'd get him back. I was almost…happy. But I was also sad, knowing he was never actually there to begin with._

"We will be arriving at Sunset Station in five minutes, five minutes."

The automated voice shattered my state of sleep. My heavy eyelids lifted, a bright light blinding me. I lift my arm and wipe the lingering drowsiness away with my sleeve. What's this? Why's my sleeve damp? Had I really been crying?

As I look out the window, I can see the tower Yen Sid calls home far off in the distance. A smile pulls at my lips. Sora's in there. He may not be Roxas, but Roxas is in Sora. I don't know how I'll pull it off, but he won't be there forever. Somehow, I'll get Roxas out of there. Somehow, we'll be together again.

As we near the station, I eagerly walk toward the door. Standing next to it, I notice the passing scenery begins to slow. I take another peek out the glass and see the mysterious tower. I'm close, Roxas. God, I'm so close…

I step off the train, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. My arms raise above my head, stretching my stiffened spine. I let out a sigh and make my way toward the tower. "I'm coming, Roxas."

I enter the tower without hesitation. No knocking, no announcing my presence, I just walk in. In all honesty, I don't care about anyone other than Roxas at this point. I couldn't care less if my intrusion is rude. I just want Roxas.

I make my way up the spiral staircase uninterrupted. If Sora and his friend were having a test, wouldn't there be some sort of ruckus? I don't hear a single thing… As I finally reach the top of the steps, I am face to face with Yen Sid's door. I grab the handle and push the door open. Yen Sid was there, sitting at his desk. But where was the little hero and his leech? Looking past the old man, I notice the two laying on the floor. What the hell?

"Hello, Master Yen Sid." I had to at least make an effort to sound respectful. Force isn't quite necessary at this point… "Hello. What can I do for you, Lea?" I jumped back, stunned that he not only knew who I was, but that he had called me by my human name. "H-how did you know who I am?" The man chuckled a low, throaty sound. "That's none of your concern. Now, is there something you needed?" He seemed rather pleasant to an intruder… "How much do you know about nobodies?" His wrinkled hands clasped in front of him. "I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but my knowledge of the subject fairly great. What is it that you wish to know?" I took in a breath, and pointed to the brunette sleeping beauty on the floor. "Can Roxas be separated from him?" His hands released one another, one raising to his face to scratch at his chin in thought. "Hmm… From what I know… No. But, as I said, I'm not an expert. You should talk to Ansem the Wise about this matter. He took full responsibility for what he did to Roxas and apologized for his actions. He felt terrible. He let his work blind him, causing him to do some awful things. I'm sure he would share what he knows with you at the very least. He may even help you if there _is _a way." I look to Sora, hopelessly trying to somehow pull Roxas out. As if I needed to say it, it didn't work. My eyes fixated on the boy, remembering their likeness. "Thank you…" I back out of the room, keeping my eyes on Sora. As I reach the door, I force myself to tear my gaze away. Shutting the door, I quickly make my way back down the spiral stairs.

My head was spinning. He was there, he was _right there._ But I couldn't do anything… Not a single thing. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a promise that's even possible to keep…

I fly out the door, running as fast as my feet can carry me. My destination? The Twilight Town Old Mansion: Ansem the Wise's last known location. Ever since the little key blade wielder erased all of us nobodies and saved the world _again_, Ansem the Wise has dropped off the radar. I don't expect to find him at the mansion, but maybe I can get some intel as to where he might be. As of right now, the man that caused all of this, the man who stole Roxas away from me and put him in a place I couldn't reach, the man that caused my non-existent heart so much pain, that man is my only hope.


	4. Memories

**Chapter 4**

"Memories"

I was running full speed. I made it to the quiet town in record time. The moment I stepped foot in Twilight Town, memories flooded my brain. More specifically- memories of a certain blond. Standing in the center of town, I look to my left. There, the clock tower proudly stood, twisting the knife in my heart. Yes, that's right- my heart. I have one. And not just because I'm human again. My heart was something I never lost. My heart had always belonged to me. Despite what they all told me, Roxas made me believe something different. He reminded me that I had never lost it, he made me feel like I had a heart…

Looking to the small shop to my right, more memories rush through me. The menu read: "sea salt ice cream" in large bolded letters. That damn knife just kept on twisting.

_"You're early!" I exclaim as I reach the top of the clock tower, noticing the smaller blond sitting lonesome at its edge. _

_"No, you're just late." He says to me in that adorably sassy tone of his._

_I look at the blond as I take a seat beside him. God, he's amazing. The word doesn't do him justice though. What's more than amazing? Perfect? Even that couldn't quite match up to this boy's flawlessness._

_I whip out two sea salt ice creams- our signature snack. I take a bite, sending a chill through my body, the hairs on my arms standing to attention. Roxas takes a bite of his own, his usual aloof expression resting on his face. To anyone else, he'd seem antisocial, maybe even stuck up. But that was definitely not the case. He had a hard outer shell, but once he let you in, you wouldn't dream of leaving. Once you get to know the kid, you can see the softer side of him. In all honesty, Roxas is a really sensitive person. He's just got one hell of a poker face. I bet he'd give Luxord a run for his money…_

_"I'm worried about Xion. She hasn't come back from her mission yet…" Roxas's head dropped to the ice cream in his hands. Salty-sweet blue drops fell to the ground far below our feet. _

_Ugh, _**_her._**_ Now, Xion was nice and all, but I hated her guts. Maybe it's out of place for me to feel like that, but I can't help it. You tend to not like the person who's desperately in love with the one _**_you're_**_ desperately in love with. She was always so obvious about it too; always all over Roxas. God, did that piss me off. Luckily, Roxas is a bit… dim. He doesn't catch on to things like that too quick. He's a bit oblivious; and I love that about him. I love everything about him. _

_"I'm sure she's fine." I tried to sound reassuring. _

_"You're probably right…" His gaze never left the ice cream he was twirling around nervously in his hands. He didn't sound convinced._

_"No sense in stressing over it." Did that sound insensitive? Roxas probably wouldn't catch on anyway, he's pretty clueless sometimes…_

_"I know." Concern laced his already weak voice. He pursed his small pink lips, as if deep in thought. _

_An awkward silence filled the air. No, not quite awkward. Nothing was really awkward when I was with Roxas. This was just… uncomfortable. We sat, neither speaking, eating our blue ice cream. _

_"Hey Axel?" The silence was broken by the cutie beside me. As I looked to him, I was a bit stunned to say the least. His mood seemed to do a complete 360. An adorable smile was painted on his face. His eyes no longer seemed clouded by sorrow. What the hell did I just miss?_

_I hum in question, discretely begging him to keep talking._

_"I kinda miss it just being us sometimes. I mean, I like Xion… But this is nice, just me and you." He flashed that perfect smile of his, slight dimples forming on only his right cheek. God, he's gorgeous. _

_The smile pulling at the corners of my mouth were untamable. A wide grin spread across my face like wildfire. I couldn't stop smiling. A throaty chuckle escaped my lips as I took another bite of my ice cream. He'd chosen me over Xion? I _**_must_**_ be dreaming…_

*Dong dong dong* As the clock tower struck noon, I was jolted out of my reminiscing. I look back to our former usual spot. There were no feet dangling above the town. There was no sea salt ice cream drippings falling to the ground. There was no Roxas…

I shake the lingering thoughts of him away, but just for now. Memories of Roxas will do nothing but slow me down. I need the real Roxas, not a memory. I push myself toward the back of the town. I almost forgot how dead this place was… I haven't seen a single person the entirety of my stay here in Twilight Town. It has always been like this, or at least, as long as I've known the town.

Finally, I reach the gap in the stone walls surrounding the town. My slender body squeezes through with ease, despite the tight passageway. With a quick look around, it really does feel like old times. Everything is exactly the same. Every tree where it was before, and the mansion completely identical as when I last saw it. Even so, everything felt… emptier. Without Rox- _No._ I can't let myself get dragged down by these memories of him. As much as it pains me to push the thought of him aside, I must remember that it's necessary to get him back. This is for the best, it's only temporary…

I open the large doors and enter the eerie building. As my eyes peer around the familiar setting, I take note of just how vacant this place has become. A thick layer of dust has settled atop of every inch of the mansion. Looks like it's been quite sometime since anyone's stepped foot in here.

I snoop around for any clues as to DIZ's location, but find nothing. I find myself in that blindingly white room that Naminé called home. All of her drawings are still here… Most are of Sora and his friends. Scattered amongst the doodles of the key blade wielder lie ones of a more familiar figure. One dressed in black, wielding two keyblades; one with a mess of blond hair drawn on his head. I smile to myself as I look through the sketches. I can recall most of the events that they depict. Then, I stumble upon a jewel amongst the clutter of drawings. I lift the paper, inspecting the picture closer. Gently, I fold the paper and stuff it into the pocket of my tight black coat. I breath in deeply, exhaling slowly, attempting to calm my overactive brain.

I take in another breath, preparing myself for the next room. The secret door opens, exposing the stairwell down to DIZ's computer room. Slowly, I release the air I'd been holding in my lungs. I don't have a choice… I take a step forward, and descend down the stairs.

The very first thing I notice results in a light chuckle. The computers are still beat all to hell. The screens are completely shattered, fragments of glass scattered around them. My fingers run along the broken machinery, desperately trying to somehow have some sort of contact with Roxas. Unfortunately, my attempts are futile. I look around the large room, and suddenly, a wave of emotions is rushed upon me. Vivid images of that day consume my mind. I can't contain the memories…

_"Let's meet again, in the next life." I can barely pant out the words. Roxas put up one hell of a fight…_

_"Yeah, I'll be waiting." Was that hope I heard? _

_"Silly, just because you have a next life…" And I was gone. I couldn't continue. I didn't have the physical or emotional strength to keep talking. I just…left him._

But he wasn't here waiting. He didn't get a next life… _I_ did.

Rage was building up inside me.

"How the hell is this fair?! Why did _I_ get another chance? Why not Roxas?! Why me!" I shout to no one but myself. My clenched fists grip my hair tightly. I'm pissed beyond belief. I throw my hands out and summon my two chakrams through a burst of flames. My teeth gritted, attempting to silence my screams. But my attempts proved ineffective. I yell at the top of my lungs, putting all the anger I could into the noise. My arms swing hard and fast, whipping a chakram at the metal wall before me. As it returns back to my hand, the other repeats the first's action, slamming against the wall with a loud bang. Over and over, I throw my weapons at the wall, causing the metal to bow under the force.

Exhaustion sets in, forcing me to stop beating the wall. I hold the heated weapons in my hands loosely, my body slumping over. I pant out jagged breaths. My breaths begin to hitch as my pants turn into sobs. Tears push their way from my eyes, landing on the metal floor with a barely audible 'ping'. My body leans against the hot metal I had just abused with my chakrams. I slide down the dented wall, landing on the cool floor abruptly. My hands immediately drop the weapons. I raise my newly freed hands to my face to cover it. The reality of losing Roxas was truly setting in. I never imagined it would be this painful. I don't think I've experienced a pain this awful before in my entire existence. It was horrible. A pain that cannot even be seen…

I manage to compose myself after a long while. I can admit that I cried for quite sometime. Roxas was the only person I've ever loved. And now he's gone. But through all of this, I try to force myself into staying optimistic. "I _will _get Roxas back…" I tell myself this over and over. I may be lying to myself, but it keeps me going. I reach into my pocket, pulling out the piece of paper gently. I open it up, and smile at the memory. _This… _This will give me the motivation to continue. I fold the paper back up carefully and place it safely back in my pocket.

I can't allow myself to be held down by all of these emotions. I need to keep going. I need to get Roxas back.

I thoroughly search the room. Nothing has given me any insight as to where the hell that coward, DIZ, ran off to. That was, until my luck seemed to turned around. Hidden in a drawer of his desk laid a small journal. I turn open the cover, unveiling all the information that sad excuse for a man had jotted down. Notes from his experiments and studies, personal notes, _everything_…. I turn another page and stumble upon the section where Roxas came into play. He describes his plan to capture him and place him in the computerized Twilight Town. He goes on to explain how he executed it and the outcome. These notes showed no remorse from the author whatsoever. He seemed… proud. _That bastard!_

I flip to the next page, reading its context aloud.

"Number 13 of the organization has been successfully placed into my Twilight Town. Everything has gone exactly as I had planned. The nobody has no clue of his past. He remembers no one, just as I had hoped. I presume all will go accordingly and Sora will awaken, the missing links in his chain of memories restored."

I cringe at the words written on the page. Referring to Roxas as "the nobody"… As if he were some lesser being. As if that man was inferior to him. This man, he had no problem toying with another person's life. Roxas was just a puppet on a string to him. Who the hell does he think he is? Working with this sick bastard without burning him alive will be tough. God, do I want to see that man suffer for what he did. Not only for what he did to Roxas, but to everyone else too. _He_ was the one who tricked the key-bearing kid into slaughtering the entire organization. _He_ was to blame for my friends' deaths. He killed my closest friend (aside from Roxas). He pushed Sora to kill Demyx. I never really had many close friends in the organization, just comrades and a few enemies. But Demyx, he was a good friend. Maybe even enough to be considered a best friend. He also believed we all had hearts. He never once gave up the idea. Before Roxas, I just called Demyx naive for believing such a thing. We were nobodies, beings without a heart. Or so we all thought. Little did we know, that we all had something there. Maybe it wasn't identical to a human's heart, but it was something. Something was in there that allowed us to feel those emotions. We knew deep down that they were real. They were never just memories of when we were human. They were _real_. Sometimes, they just felt synthetic because of all the lies they had fed us. They tricked our brains into believing that these feelings weren't genuine. So, when I would look at Roxas and feel that fluttery feeling, I had been convinced what I felt wasn't love. I know better now.

I continue to flip through the pages, occasionally stumbling upon new information. But this new information did me little to no good. There was nothing telling me how to bring Roxas back. There were no plans beyond Sora's awakening. He wrote nothing about where he would go or what he would do after. _Damn it! _I let my temper get the best of me as I whip the useless book at the previously abused wall. As it hit the metal wall with a soft thud, a slip of paper fell from the back cover. Picking it up,I look at the words written in identical handwriting to that of the journal. I read the two words aloud. "Starting anew"?

**Author's Note:**

I'd love to get some feedback from you guys. Criticism is good, flames welcome :)


	5. Glimmer Of Hope

**Chapter 5**

"A Glimmer Of Hope"

* * *

**Author's note: **Hey, Otakuscum/Demikkusu/Emma here. This chapter is the longest I've written... _ever._ I'd love to know what you guys think of my take on the Kingdom Hearts story! Don't be afraid to add some constructive critism, I can handle it ;)

And of course, thank you to everyone who bothers reading my lame stories!

**_Alright! Back to the story!_**

* * *

"Starting anew?" What the hell was that supposed to mean? I stared at the piece of paper held between the fingers of my right hand. My other hand toyed with the paper tucked safely in my jacket pocket. The picture my fingers fumbled with fueled me with the motivation, but riddles were never my thing. _Starting anew… starting anew…. _I scratched at my chin, forming a cliche thinking position. "Ugh! I don't know!" I hollered to myself in aggravation, throwing my fists down childishly.

I lifted my body from the tree behind me, beginning a steady pace back and forth. The leaves of the many trees around me rustled as a light summer breeze swept through the forest that connected Twilight Town to the mansion. It was a peaceful place to think; empty, nostalgic… I needed to figure this damn thing out.

'_Starting anew…'_

_'_Think, Lea! Think!' The hand clutching the riddle swiftly swung up to my forehead, producing a sharp slap and a crumpling of paper. I repeatedly knocked my fist against my forehead, trying to force the answers out of my brain. As if I even needed to say it, it didn't work. "Shit. What now?" I ask myself aloud in the empty forest.

I sat down in the grass, desperately trying to figure out what to do. Growing more and more impatient, I hummed in thought as my teeth chewed at the inside of my cheek. Then it hit me. "I'll ask Ienzo! He used to be that bastard's apprentice, he'd know better than anyone what this whack job is talking about!" I quickly lifted myself to my feet and made my way back toward the quiet little town. I pushed past trees, finally reaching the crevice in the stone walls. My slender body passed through with ease, and again I was running full-speed toward Sunset Station.

My gait was swift and fast thanks to my long legs. I smirked as I remember the nickname Roxas had used only once or twice: "praying mantis". It wasn't really too creative, but it was cute. Roxas wasn't too witty, but I loved him nonetheless.

Luckily, I reached the train station in record time. I flung the glass door open and entered the building. The very moment I step into that place, nostalgia got the best of me. My gaze shifts above me to the high ceilings. Directly above me is the very place Roxas and I used to spend all our free time. Just watching the sun set, eating some sea salt ice cream… I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the nagging memories. I look around the station, taking note of it's emptiness. Or, almost empty…

Behind me, I heard the glass door open. I could distinguish three pairs of foot steps. "Three student tickets please!" My head whipped around at the familiar voice. My eyes fell on a boy clad in camouflage pants paired with a beige vest overtop a black sleeveless t-shirt. His hair was a sandy blond that had quite a unique style to it. (Well, I guess I'm not really one to talk about 'unique hair') He had one elbow propped against the metal counter to the ticket booth while the other hand held up three fingers, an arrogant grin plastered on his face.

I approach the three familiar teenagers. "One ticket to Hollow Bastion please." I mirror the blond kid's actions and hold up a single finger, painting a wide smirk across my face. I turn my head to the group who had maneuvered toward the benches near the railroads. After I paid for and collected my ticket, I made my way toward the trio. 'Wait, what am I doing? They don't even know who I am. I never met the "real deal" teens.' I stopped in my tracks as the thoughts appeared in my head. The short pudgy brunet noticed my pretense, however. "Hey, mister? You new around here?" I snapped out of my trance and met eyes with the familiar boy. "Uh yeah." A lop-sided smile rested on my face. "Really? 'Cause you seem really familiar for some reason. Have we met before?" I refrained from trying to explain the whole 'well, I met the data clones of you, so that's why I seem familiar, Pence'. It was easier that way. "No, I don't think so." I smiled awkwardly.

Having all these memories of someone without them even remembering you was a little heart wrenching. All I could think of was when Roxas had forgotten about me. The last moments we shared together, he couldn't even remember a single day we spent together. All those times we spent up on the clocktower, all the missions we went on together, every moment we 'accidentally' surpassed a platonic relationship- gone. I walked right up to him, and he never even recognized me. He couldn't remember all those memories we shared; neither the good, nor the bad. He had forgotten about me. I was no one but a stranger to him…

I jolted back to the present as fingers snapped before my eyes. "Hey, you alright?" I shook my head, clearing my mind. "Uh yeah, I'm fine. Just lost in thought." I laughed nervously. Luckily, my train had just pulled into the station. 'Thank God…' "Oop, looks like that's my ride." I pointed a finger toward said locomotive. "Oh, alright. I guess we'll see ya later then!" The trio waved as I flashed a smile back at them. Just as I lifted my foot to step onto the train, someone took hold of my arm. "You sure we haven't met before?" The blond kid who had a firm grip on my arm seemed suspicious. "Hmm" I hummed in synthetic thought. "Nope. I don't think so. Maybe you're confusing me with someone else." He still didn't look convinced. I mean, who could forget a walking twig with a bright red mane dressed in a black cloak? "Yeah, maybe." As the grip on my arm loosened, I stepped into the car. As the doors shut, I remained by the window, watching the three begin to shrink as the train moved forward. I lifted my hand and gave them a curt wave. The three reciprocated my action as they watched me disappear into the distance.

As soon as I was out of sight, I dropped my body onto the stiff bench of the train. A sigh escaped my lips as I sunk further into the seat. My head rested on the windowsill, my eyelids slipping shut. I wasn't quite tired enough to sleep. So I opted for a little relaxation. God knows I could use a little after everything that's happened in the past few days. I took in another deep breath, holding it for a moment, then releasing it slowly. I felt the tensed muscles throughout my body loosen slightly. I craned my neck from side to side, hearing the joints pop and crack loudly in my ears. My fingers slip into my pocket, removing the folded up paper. I open it gently and soak in the euphoric memories of its contents. There, on the pristine white paper, laid the art of Naminé. Two figures had been sketched. Both were dressed in black. However, one had wild red spikes; the other- a mess of blond hair. I smile at the simple yet accurate depiction of Roxas. The two on the paper were standing side by side, hand in hand. The cloaked figures stood back-to, staring at the heart shaped moon in the sky.

I fold the paper back up and stuff it in my pocket. I fear if I stare at it any longer, I won't be able to control the water works. Man, this kid… My gaze shifts out the window to the passing scenery. After watching several trees wiz by, my destination reveals itself. Just over the top of these trees, I could spot the tip of a tower. As we near our stop, the rest of the castle makes itself visible.

"And here we are again, Hollow Bastion." I mumble the words under my breath in the empty car. My lips pull into a smirk at the familiar scenery. 'Feels like I was just here…' I think to my self sarcastically. As we pulled into the station, I lifted my body from that awful plastic seat, wobbling a bit on tired legs. I quickly regain my balance, and step out of the train the moment those doors rolled open. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent. I don't know what it was, but something about this place just smelled like home. I scoffed at my thoughts. 'Ha, maybe because it is your home, dumbass.' I smiled slightly at the way my brain worked. I've got a few screws loose. But then again, who doesn't?

I wandered around the station, drinking in the new setting of the town. 'This place sure has changed since it was known as Radiant Gardens…' I thought to myself. I let out a breath of air in a quick, silent laugh. 'Well, at least that hasn't changed…' I walked over toward the familiar creature. The smile pulling at my lips couldn't be helped. There, floating around the station, was a purple winged, tan little creature with a red ball dangling from its head. As I approached, I was greeted with the words I had hoped to hear. "Hey there, Kupo!" A toothy grin spread across my face. "We've got some good deals! Come check it out, Kupo!" I simply shook my head. "Sorry, I'm fresh outta cash." I gave the cute little creature an apologetic smile and a curt wave as I walked away. "Okay. Come again, Kupo!" Who knew such a simple thing as being called 'Kupo' by a moogle could get me this giddy?

I continued to make my way toward the place I woke up not even a week ago. My hands were stuffed in my pockets, one toying with the paper tucked safely in there. It had almost become my fuel, something to keep me going when things look bleak, give me a reason to keep going. It'll keep me from giving up; not only on Roxas, but on myself. All my strength resided in Roxas. Now that he's gone- no. Not gone. Now that he's not at my side, I'm weak. It's funny, of all times I could have felt like this, _now_ is when I feel like my heart is just a shell. Roxas was the only person to truely make me believe I had a heart. I may be human again, but I can't help but feel like the spot were my heart should be is empty. I feel like I lost a part of myself when Roxas disappeared. Something inside me broke into little tiny pieces.

Why do I do this to myself? Why do I put myself in this kind of a mood? I always just end up depressed… I ducked into a public restroom, entering a vacant stall. I leaned my back against the stall door, thankful for some privacy. My hands lift to my face, rubbing it roughly then raking through my hair. They stopped at the crook of my neck, my fingers interlocking to rest my head against them. I let out a sigh, trying to calm myself. 'Why am I so fucking emotional?' I swallowed hard, trying to rid myself of the lump in my throat. My breaths became shaky as the tears welled up in my eyes. 'No, no, no, no, no! I am _not_ going to cry. Man up, Lea!' But my pep talk proved ineffective. A jagged breath jumped from my throat as my head dropped forward in defeat. The tears just kept coming. Each one streamed down my face before hitting the floor with a barely audible *plip*. My legs felt like they would give out at any minute because of the sheer force of my emotional wreckage. I turned my body so I was facing the stall door and dropped onto the toilet. My face immediately fell to my hands, my elbows propped against the space just above my knees. My breaths came out as almost a cough- hitched and labored.

I straightened my back a little, pulling my hands away from my drenched face. I wiped my hands on my legs, drying away the tears. I lifted a single finger, bringing it closer to my face. I allowed the raging fire inside me release a small flame atop my index finger. I turned the digit before my eyes, getting a full 360 view of the beautiful fire. The little orange light danced across each finger. Finally reaching the original lighting finger, I gazed at it once again. As I rolled up the sleeve of the opposite arm, I frowned at all the markings I had left. The said arm clenched into a fist as my lighted finger drew nearer. I gifted my teeth in preparation for the pain. The hot flame made contact with my imperfect skin. A feeling of sinful euphoria consumed me. It was an odd feeling- pleasure out of pain. Sure, it hurt like hell, but that was the good part. It's not an easy thing to explain to someone who's not as twisted as I am.

I held my finger there until the scorching heat was too much. I withdrew the flame and extinguished it. My eyes shifted to the damage. It was a pretty bad burn this time. It had already started to blister. 'What a fucking pyro…' I scoffed aloud at my own thoughts. I rolled my sleeve back down, careful to avoid the cooked skin. I knew I had to dress the wound before it got infected. 'I definitely don't need _that_ again.' I stood up from the toilet and opened the door. I fished through my pockets for some munny, but I came up empty-handed. I guess I spent all my cash on all those train tickets. 'Damn, transportation ain't cheap.' I complained to myself in my head as I continued my journey back to where the others (hopefully) still were.

'Finally' I let out a sigh of relief as I reached the door. I stopped before it, admiring its beauty. 'Beautiful' seemed like an odd word to describe a building, but it fit. This place really was magnificent. I reached a hand to the large metal handle. With as much strength as my tired body could muster up, I heaved the large door open. Taking a step inside, I look around for a familiar face. Or, _any_ face at this point… But none were found. 'Maybe they're in the lab?' I pondered where my fellow awakened "somebodies" had run off to.

Taking a left, then a right, going down a flight of stairs, I finally reached the familiar room: the lab- the very place I had awoken just a few days ago. I waltzed through the open doors, not seeing any sign of the others. I wandered around, searching for a bandage. Finding one amongst the various objects of a drawer, I wrapped the roll of gauze around the seared skin. Pulling the knot tight with my teeth, my wound was dressed. Sloppily, but hey, I'm no doctor.

"Hello?" I finally decided to call out. 'Why had I not tried this earlier…?' I questioned my own mental stability at this point. Just before I was about to call again…

"Lea?"

I heard a familiar voice answer. I followed the voice to Ansem's office area. There, hovered over a mess of papers scattered among the desk, was the slate-haired boy.

"Ienzo! Just the man I wanted to see!" He quirked a blue-grey eyebrow in suspicion.

"Yes? What do you need?" He was always so difficult to read. He's always so solemn, I can never tell if he's pissed, happy, or what.

"You were pretty close to that douche, Ansem, correct?" I smirked slightly as the insults toward the man just seemed to roll off my tongue.

"Yes, I was 'that douche's' apprentice. Why do you ask?" He straightened his back, cracking the stiffened spine softly.

"So you know the guy pretty well?" I crossed my arms, relaxing my shoulders. I finally felt… optimistic.

"Get to the point, Lea." He didn't exactly spit the words, but I could tell he was a bit on edge.

"Alright, alright." I raised my hands to a defensive position. "I just need to know what the hell that whack job meant by this." As I spoke the last word, I reached into my pocket and handed the boy the piece of paper.

"_Starting anew_…" One of his hands raised to his chin, his index finger pushing against his upper lip. He remained silent except for the occasional hum of thought.

"Well, I suppose it could mean….No." He cut himself short and returned to his thinking.

"No! Tell me! Anything helps!" I might have sounded too eager, desperate even. But I didn't care. Anything to get my Roxas back…

"Well, I suspect it may mean he's returned to where he originated from." His eyes never left the words on the paper.

"You mean he's back here in Hollow Bastion?!" My hands hit the desk incredulously, startling Ienzo. It was just the slightest falter in expression, but I could tell he got a little pissed at my snippy remark.

"I said I _suspect _he _may_ be back here." He bit back, but returned to his thick wall of composure.

"Sorry 'bout that. I'm just… ya know-" But he cut me short.

"I know. You don't have to tell me. With the whole Roxas situation, you're a bit on edge. I understand." His words were consoling, but his expression remained apathetic. He's so contradictory…

We stood in silence for a moment, neither daring to continue on such a touchy topic.

"I was gonna go grab an ice cream. You wanna come?" I broke the silence as I stopped at the door. The slate-haired boy looked up at me through the hair covering his face.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He nodded once and joined me at the exit.

We walked in silence the entire way. I'll admit, it was a bit awkward. I mean, I _did_ kinda have him killed. Well, not _him_, but you know what I mean. It just seems strange that he doesn't seem to have any resentment toward me. I watched Zexion die. I told Repliku to kill him, right in front of him. And he just let it go? Seems kinda odd if you ask me…

"Two sea salt ice creams, please." I heard the smaller solemn voice announce. I wasn't even aware that we were already at the ice cream parlor… I pawed around my pockets, desperately searching for at least some change.

"Its fine, I've got it." I stopped molesting myself as I heard the offer and the jingling of coins. I smiled apologetically, "Thanks.", and took the ice cream handed to me.

It was silent once again. The two of us simply strolled through the nostalgic town. Everything seemed so different now. I took another bite, the cold chill running through my mouth and spreading through my body in the form of goosebumps. Something about this just feels wrong. It's not that I don't like Ienzo, I do. But I always thought that the next sea salt ice cream I'd eat would be with Roxas. It seemed childish, but it was _our_ thing. That silly blue ice cream had become like our trademark. Sharing some with anyone other than him felt… almost like a betrayal. I shook the thoughts from my head, 'How dumb can I be? It's just an ice cream!'

"Ienzo?!" I heard a chipper voice call for the boy beside me. "Yuffie?" I looked from the slate-haired boy to the black haired girl running full-speed toward us. "What are you doing back in Hollow Bastion?! I thought I'd seen the last of you after you got turned into a Heartless!" With my ice cream now gone, I chewed on the stick, watching this whole thing unfold. "We're all back. Well, almost all." He turned to me with expressive eyes, sympathetic eyes. The black haired girl seemed to have boundless energy, but understood the shift in mood. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. But hey! Why don't you come on over to our secret hide out? You can see the old crew, and some new faces too! Ooh! And bring your friend over there!" I perked up at the acknowledgement of my presence. I gave a two finger salute in response to her wide smile toward me. "Oh, sure." Ienzo motioned for me to follow. Doing just that, I took the stick from my mouth. Just as I was about to toss it in the trash, I noticed something engraved at the end of the wooden stick.

_Winner_

I smiled, feeling even more optimistic. Was it a sign? Maybe. I've never really been one to believe in all that, but it gave me a glimmer of hope for some reason.

I tossed it in the bin and caught up to Ienzo and Yuffie. The walk there was quiet on my part. The two in front of my just kept chatting away (or at least, Yuffie did…). I felt kind of like the third wheel as I walked behind the two, completely out of the loop. But I didn't really mind. It gave me a chance to think. Which, while thinking usually ended badly, it was a good thing this time. I was finally able to think about Roxas without breaking down in a fit of tears. I was able to smile as I remembered the many happy moments we shared. I felt good about this. Maybe things were starting to look up.

"Alright! Here we are!" The black haired girl stopped in front of one of the many houses and threw her hands above her head in excitement. It looked just like any other building. She opened the blue door and the three of us stepped inside. The room was fairly small, but maybe it just seemed that way because of all the stuff in there. There were books _everywhere_. Damn, Ienzo must be in heaven right now (not that he'd every show it…). As my eyes scanned the room I noticed the enormous computer toward the back. A man with blond hair sat back-to to me as he typed away on the massive piece of equipment. Next to him were two men, one blond and the other brunette. Given how unnaturally close they were standing to one another, they either were in a relationship or outwardly had a thing for each other. Near the center of the room stood a bearded man with a pointed hat, thumbing through a tattered book resting on a pedestal. The last person emerged from what I can only assume was the kitchen seeing as the brunette girl came bearing snacks.

"We've got guests! Everyone, meet Ienzo and… I'm sorry, I never got your name!" She held a hand out to me as if setting me on display to the people of the room. "I'm Ax- Uh, I'm Lea." I gave a sheepish smile and a quick salute. 'That probably seemed suspicious. Damn, I need to get used to being called by Lea now. Is it odd that I like being called Axel better…?' All eyes were on me. Except for the blond guy at the computer, he never seemed to tear his eyes away from that thing.

"Alright, Lea! This is Aerith." She pointed to the brunette with the snacks, the girl giving a sweet smile in return. "That's Merlin in the hat. Over there on the computer is Cid. And the not-so-subtle homos over there are Cloud and Leon!" The black haired girl pointed out each person as she listed them off. As Yuffie pointed to the 'not-so-subtle homos', they both shot daggers at said girl. Each person gave me a wave and looked me up and down (except for Cid of course).

It was awkwardly silent until Yuffie's voice (thankfully) piped up. "Oh! We're missing one!" Just as she said that, a figure turned the corner into the room we all occupied. "Speak of the devil!" The black haired girl put her hands on her hips and smiled at the newcomer. My eyes settled on the person now standing beside Yuffie. At that moment, my jaw hit the floor.

_"No fucking way…"_


	6. Theories

**Chapter 6**

"Theories"

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**Author's note: **

This is where the story _really_ starts to become more of my own ideas. Some of it may not make sense, but it's difficult to play by all the convoluted Kingdom Hearts rules! Anyway, enjoy the story and _**don't forget to review!**_

**P.S. I bumped the rating up to M because I realized that I was having Lea drop the F-Bomb quite a lot. Plus, there may be some smutty scenes later on...**

* * *

-x-X-x-

I gathered my jaw from the floor and stormed toward that bastard. As I made my way toward him, I flung my arm out straight. "Ansem…" I mumbled with as much hatred as I could put into the word. Through a burst of flames, I summoned a single chakram. I halted my steps, and came face to face with my problem. I grabbed him by the collar and held a sharp blade of my weapon to his throat. I never thought my eyes could express such rage. He physically tried to sink away from my grasp. '_No way in Hell am I letting you go, you sick bastard.' _I took in a deep breath and gathered my words.

"You! You sick fucking fuck! I ought to kill you in the slowest, most painful way possible. I should be boiling the fluid in your eyes or burning your tongue to a bubbling puddle of grease…" I exhaled a shaky breath from the tears forming in my eyes. I inhaled deeply and calmed myself. "But instead, I'll let you help me. If you succeed in doing what I ask, then maybe, _just fucking maybe_ I'll let you off with nothing more than a few burns and broken bones. I promise, you'll live if I get what I want- no, what I _need._"

He cleared his throat and composed himself.

"What is it that you need from me?" He lifted an eyebrow, obviously trying to not appear deterred.

"You're going to help me get Roxas back." I said sternly, daggers from my eyes piercing his inflated ego.

He left out a disturbingly hearty laugh at my demand. "What would make you think I would help a pathetic creature such as a Nobody?"

My grip on his collar tightened and I dug the blade into his skin until he winced in pain. "If you ever-_ ever,_call Roxas a 'pathetic creature' again, I promise you you'll regret it. Now, I'll give you _one_ more chance. Will you, or will you not help me get Roxas back?"

He cried in pain again as the blade dug deeper, this time drawing small beads of ruby-stained blood. "Alright, alright!" I released my death grip and tossed that piece of trash to the floor.

"If anything…." He met my gaze and I shot him a death glare. "…_you're_ the pathetic one." I sunk into childish tactics and spit in his direction. I couldn't help it…

I turned away from him, too disgusted to even look at that bastard. My chakram disappeared in a puff of smoke and I returned to the group. With my back still turned, I quietly, yet sharply called back to the groaning mess on the floor.

"We start now. Get your sorry ass up and come with me."

I turned to Ienzo. I guess he could see the hurt in my eyes because he excused himself and helped Ansem up to his feet. I never even said a word. I guess he knew I wasn't going to let anything stop me.

Once Ansem was on his feet, I excused myself and walked out the door. Following slightly behind me, Ienzo kept watch on Ansem to make sure he didn't try anything. No one spoke. I was glad. I was afraid if that piece of shit spoke when it wasn't absolutely necessary, I would lose it. To be honest, I might have actually killed him. I know it's horrible, but the things he's done… with no _real_ remorse… that cannot be forgiven.

When we reached the castle, I swung open the door and allowed Ansem to enter first.

"Walk." I held the door open until both Ansem and Ienzo entered. "We're going to your office. You know where it is." I spit the words at him.

He simply nodded and walked toward said room. We entered the office silently. "Sit." I snarled and pointed a finger toward the chair located behind the desk. He obediently complied and took a seat. I could tell he was nervous. Just as I wanted him…

I fished through my pocket and pulled out the journal I had found at the mansion. As I took the book from my jacket, the folded up piece of paper fell from the same pocket. I quickly snatched it from the ground, inspected it, and placed it safely back into my jacket. Ansem raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but was clearly too afraid to ask. I threw the book in front of him.

"There. There's all you're little notes about Roxas. Tell me how to get him back." I stood tall and crossed my arms, still shooting daggers his way.

"There is no way to get the Nobody-"

I cut him off.

"His name is Roxas." I bit back with fierce intensity.

"There is no way to get _Roxas_ back." He mocked his name. "He has become one with the true key-bearer."

"No, there's always a way. There's _always_ a way. So fucking find one!" My anger was bubbling up inside me, and clearly Ienzo noticed. He stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. The gesture was restrictive, but somewhat comforting. I took a step back and held my hands up in surrender.

"The two have merged. Sora cannot survive without Roxas."

"Then I'll just have to turn the kid back into a Heartless. If he were to become a Heartless, a Nobody, Roxas, would be born. Right?"

"Well, in theory, yes. But you can't just throw away one person's life for another!"

I scoffed at the irony.

"It's funny, because I thought that was _exactly _what _you_ did to Roxas…" My temper was running short. I need to kick the living shit out of this man…

Ienzo cut in to end this before Ansem wound up dead. "Alright, alright. That's enough. You two need to quit butting heads so you can be out of each other's lives already." He stepped between us to avoid a physical fight.

"Whatever. Just find a god damn way to get Roxas back…" My voice was low and angered. I turned my body so I no longer had to look at that pathetic waste of oxygen. "I'm gonna go out for a little while." I didn't wait for a reply, I just walked away.

-x-X-x-

I kicked at the pebbles that were scattered along the sidewalks of Hollow Bastion. A bone chilling breeze swept through the town. This place had these weird occurrences like freezing gusts of wind, even though it was summer. I guess it probably had something to do with the location. I tugged my hood up around my wild red spikes to shield them from the wind. My hair was crazy enough as it was. I remember how Roxas used to run his small, cold, clammy hands through it…

_There we were, just lounging around on my bed. We had finished our missions for the day, but it was raining so we couldn't do our usual routine. Instead, we went back to my room and hung out. It had probably been about three hours now of just talking. Usually just talking bores me. But not with this kid. I wanted him to never stop talking. God, the sound of his voice was almost like music to my ears. Cheesy, I know._

_"Axel." I turned my body so I was facing Roxas. He was laying beside me on his back, staring at the plain white ceiling. _

_"Yeah?" I asked and drank in his every feature as he wasn't paying attention to my highly attentive gaze. Suddenly, he turned to me and smiled softly. _

_"You know… your hair is pretty weird." Well that was out of the blue…_

_"What?" I chuckled at his adorable randomness. _

_A single hand lifted and tugged at a flaming red spike that framed my face._

_"It's so spiky and puffy…" He twirled the tip of my spike between his thumb and index finger. As he released it, he looked into my eyes and raked his fingers through my hair. _

_"…I like it." A hint of rouge stained his cheeks._

_I was shocked to say the least. Was it just me, or was this relationship something more than platonic? _

_In my state of shock, my cheeks flushed a light hue of pink. I swallowed and regained my composure. "Oh?" I smirked with my usual confidence back in full._

_"Mhmm" Roxas hummed in confirmation. He wriggled up toward me and took another lock of hair between his fingers. His head tilted down closer to my hair and he inhaled its scent._

_"Did you just sniff my hair…?" I asked with a light chuckle._

_"Yeah, haha. It smells like cinnamon." He laughed and twirled the hair around his finger. _

_I laughed with him and discreetly scooted closer to him. I ran my own hand through his blond spikes and took one between my own fingers. I inhaled the smell of his hair. "And yours smells like sweat!" He immediately shifted away and ran his fingers through his hair and sniffed them. _

_"Do I really?!" He blushed in embarrassment. _

_I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back close to me. He landed in front of me with his back flush against my chest. "Rox, chill. I was only kidding!" I said the words softly in his ear. I hugged him from behind and inhaled his scent again. "I love your smell." _

_He laughed and rolled over to face me. "You like the smell of sweat? That's a bit strange, don't you think, Axel?" He half smiled, half smirked. _

_"Strange? Not at all!" I grabbed either side of his head and pulled it toward my nose. I sniffed dramatically and sighed. "Your smell is my favorite smell." _

_He laughed and hit my shoulder playfully. God he was so fucking cute…_

_Roxas hopped to his feet and toward the door._

_"Where the hell do you think you're going?" I was honestly a bit confused._

_"I'm gonna go shower since I smell like dirty gym socks!" He laughed and reached for the door. _

_"Why don't you shower here? What's the point of walking all the way down to your room when there's a perfectly fine shower right here?" _

_"Well, my clothes are in my room." He grabbed the knob, but didn't turn it._

_"So? You can wear some of mine! Oh! It can be like a sleepover! You can stay in my room tonight!" I smiled wide at the thought of cuddling up next to Roxas all night._

_"Really?" His voice was half suspicious half excited. _

_"Yeah, of course!" I jumped from my bed and walked toward my closet. I rummaged through the collection of clothing and pulled out two pairs of pajamas: one for me, one for Roxas. "Here." I tossed the black pants and tank top to him. He caught them with ease and returned a smile. _

_"Thanks." He made his way to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. I decided to use this time to change into my own comfy clothes. As I slipped off my cloak, shirt, and pants, I replaced them with fresh sweatpants. I slept shirtless so I didn't bother putting one on. _

_When Roxas came back, I was lounging on my bed, playing MarioKart on my DS. "Damn it!" I cursed at my game, completely unaware Roxas was out of the shower and back in my room. I was so fixated on the race that I didn't even notice another body crawling onto the bed. _

_"Ooh, third place." He said into my ear in a jokingly condescending tone. I jumped at the sudden reality check and dropped my DS. As it hit the floor with a soft thud, I whipped my head around. _

_"Jesus!" The moment I realized who it was, an uncontrollable smile pulled at my lips. "Shit, don't startle me like that, Rox." _

_He chuckled and snatched my DS from the floor. Without a second thought, he clicked start and began a new race. The countdown beeps sounded and he took off. _

_"Um, excuse me?" I said in a mock-sassy tone. He giggled at the situation and continued his race, never once shifting his eyes from the screen. He hummed in question and raised an eyebrow, still not looking up from the game._

_"I believe that's mine." I said and snatched the handheld game from his hands. _

_"Hey!" He exclaimed in an incredulous tone._

_I simply stuck my tongue out, exposing the metal piercing through it. I squinted my eyes tightly and teasingly held the device at arms length- far above Roxas's reach. When I opened my eyes, the sight was absolutely priceless. The cute little blond was trying his damnedest to reach. He scrambled to his feet and lunged for the DS. But before he could, I climbed to my feet as well. I held the game as far as my arm could stretch. 'Roxas had no chance of getting it now…' I thought to myself, only to jinx it. Roxas leaped onto me like a koala and tried to climb his way up. But with the sudden weight, I lost my balance. My body quickly dropped to the bed, Roxas along with me: still clinging tightly around my waist. When we landed, I found Roxas straddling my abdomen. I quickly reached my arm far away from him when he tried to retrieve the device again. He crawled up my body until his stomach was near my face. Too shocked that Roxas's crotch was practically in my face, I lost focus on my current game of 'keep away.' _

_"Aha! Got it!" I heard Roxas's voice call as his body hopped from the bed to the floor. I shook the lingering pervy thoughts away and got to my feet. But this time, I didn't go for the DS. I walked past Roxas and searched through the cabinet below my TV. "What are you doing?" He asked, no longer caring about the DS. I chose not to answer him. I knew how much that annoyed him. Annoying Roxas was always fun…_

_"Hello? Axel?" Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him waving his hands about. "Axel?! Don't ignore me!" He walked closer to me and poked at my side. "Axel. Axel. Axel. Axel!" But I was too good at this game to give in now. No matter how incredibly sweet my name sounded coming from his mouth… I just smirked as continued riffling through the cabinet. I felt small hand grab my bicep and shake it viciously. "Axel! You know I hate it when I'm ignored!" I smirked wider in return to his attempts. He scoffed. "Fine." _

_When I retrieved what I wanted, I pulled it out and connected the items to the TV. I took a controller and turned back to Roxas who was sulking on my bed. I tossed a wii remote to him and he caught it after a few fumbles. _

_"Get your ass up!" I said excitedly as I turned back to the TV to set the game up. Roxas evidently got over his tantrum and walked over next to me. _

_"Why? What are we playing?" I looked back to him as the theme music poured from the speakers. I smirked widely and strutted over beside him. _

_"Just Dance." I wriggled my eyebrows at him and hit start._

-x-X-x-

Damn, my mind can wander. How did I go from putting my hood up to all that…? I looked up at the setting sun. I guess my mind's been busy…

As I made my way back to the castle where the others were, I stop and take a seat on a concrete wall. My legs dangle only a few feet above the ground and I reach into my pocket. I retrieve the picture inside and unfold it to view its contents. I held it ever so gently between my fingers, as if it would shatter if I held it any tighter. Only seconds after staring at the drawing, another gust of cold air swept through the town, carrying the piece of paper with it.

"Fuck!" I cursed aloud and jumped to the ground. My feet carried me as fast as possible toward the stray paper. I reached as far as my arm could, desperately trying to catch the picture. As I swatted my hand in front of me, I failed to realize the step that I inevitably tripped over. Landing flat on my face, it took me a second to fully comprehend what had just happened. I lifted my head and saw the paper flying far in the distance.

"No!" I pounded the concrete ground with a clenched fist. Without even realizing, tears streamed from my eyes. I punched the ground again, and collapsed into the hard sidewalk. "No…" I mumbled over and over in the vacant town square. I rested my forehead against the concrete and smacked my head against it softly. I was deep in a pit of self loathing, completely unaware of the world around me.

"Lea…? What are you doing?" My head shot up from banging against the sidewalk at the sound of a familiar voice. I looked up and shot to my feet in slight embarrassment.

"Oh. Hey, Ienzo. What are you doing here?" I tried to brush the whole thing off, like nothing happened. Luckily, he went along with it.

"I was looking for you. Ansem said he needed to talk to you."

"What?! Did he find a way to get Roxas back?!" A wide, open-mouthed smile spread across my face and I leaned in toward Ienzo.

"I don't know. I was in the lab and- "

"Come on!" I cut him off and grabbed his wrist, pulling him toward the castle.

When we finally reached the castle, I burst through the door and headed straight for the office. I flung the door open. Ansem shifted his eyes up to me at the ruckus and opened his mouth to speak. But I cut him off too.

"Did you find a way to get Roxas back?!" I ran to the desk and slammed my palms against the paper-covered table. My jaw was left slightly slacked at the shock of even the slightest possibility of getting Roxas back.

"Well it's just a theory but-" I cut him off again.

"Just tell me, damn it!" I was growing impatient.

"Well, Sora doesn't technically need _Roxas._" I cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"What? Isn't that what this whole damn thing was about?!"

"You didn't let me finish." My fingers made a zipping motion over my lips and I crossed my arms, waiting for the man to continue. "Roxas holds half of Sora. Links of Sora's chain of memories lie inside Roxas. _That_ is what Sora needed, not Roxas himself."

I shrugged my hands, silently begging for him to tell me what exactly that meant in terms of returning Roxas.

"Therefore, in theory, we should be able to strip Roxas of those memories and return them to Sora. Then, Roxas would no longer be needed to complete Sora." My eyes widened at the sheer brilliance and my jaw fell slack again.

"Y-you mean… You think we could really get Roxas back?!" My slacked jaw reversed into a wide smile.

"I believe so. But there's one problem." He looked back to his journal in discomfort.

"What?" My smile fell and I began to worry.

"The only person who I know that can manipulate one's chain of memories, Namine, is in a similar situation as Roxas." My expression dropped to anger.

"No. No, you can't just get my fucking hopes up like that!" I balled my fists, once again feeling the urge to summon my chakrams and burn the bastard alive.

"Well, there still is hope." His hands tented and he looked at me slyly.

"Get to the point." I bit back.

"Namine lies within Kairi, much like Roxas lies within Sora. As you know, Roxas can, at times, gain limited control over Sora's emotions or actions. Which would mean Namine should be able to do the same with Kairi. If this were the case, there may still be hope."

I sputtered for a moment before regaining my words. "You're saying that there's a real possibility of Roxas returning…?"

"Yes." He shot me a deadpan look, but my high of happiness didn't falter. I threw my hands above my head in a victory stance. My smile returned, wider than ever.

I lifted a hand and opened a corridor of darkness. As the mysterious black cloud appeared, I stepped toward it. I stood before it and looked back to the man at the desk.

"You comin' or what?" A blond eyebrow shot up as he gawked at me.

"Where?" He stood and joined me at the black portal. I looked to the corridor then back to Ansem and smirked deviously.

"Destiny Islands."


	7. Strange Encounters

**Chapter 7**

"Strange Encounters"

**This chapter is from Sora's POV. If you don't care about what Sora's up to, then skip to the next chapter. No hard feelings.**

"Riku? Riku!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, but no one answered. I'm getting worried, I haven't seen Riku this whole time. I hope he's okay. I don't know what I'd do if anything- No, Sora! Don't think that way! Riku's strong and capable of taking care of himself. He'll be fine, I'm sure of it…

"You lost or somethin'?" I turned to the voice and laid my eyes upon an orange haired boy standing high above me. I look up at him. "Have you seen Riku? He's got silver hair, about this tall…" I hold my hand just above my head to about Riku's height. "…he's got these eyes, oh his eyes are just amazing! He uh…" I cut myself off the second I saw the confused look on the stranger's face. "Geez, you talk about him like he's your boyfriend or something!" He called down from the wall he stood on and my cheeks immediately darkened. In fact, I think my whole face turned a bright shade of pink. I laughed nervously and prayed that the topic would switch ASAP.

"So, you're looking for someone?" The apathetic boy asked and hopped down from the wall and strutted toward me. I hummed and nodded my head in confirmation. "It just so happens that I'm looking for someone as well." I lifted an eyebrow and he continued. "So I was thinking, maybe we could help each other. Two heads are better than one, right?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked to me nonchalantly. A smile lit up my face. "Really? Yeah, I'll help you!" He simply nodded. A thought hit me and I blurted out, breaking the silence. "Oh! By the way, my name's Sora!" I held out a hand for him to shake and smiled warmly. He took my hand and shook it almost reluctantly. "I'm Nekku." He drew his hand back and shoved it back in his pocket as he turned and headed off in an unknown direction. "This way, Sora." I jogged in his direction to catch up and began asking questions regarding what the plan was to find the people we lost.

-x-X-x-

After Nekku and I parted ways, I was a little lost. What am I supposed to do? Ahead of me, I could see a figure clad in a black coat. 'The organization?' I thought to myself and ran toward the cloaked person.

"Hey!" I said sternly and grabbed their shoulder. As they turned around, the face I laid my eyes on stunned me. I stood silent for a moment, my mouth agape in shock.

"Y-you're… Roxas" The blond resembling me nodded calmly.

"B-but you're supposed to be- Am I still dreaming?" He shook his head, silently answering 'no'.

"Say something!" I grew impatient through the confusing events that had been happening lately.

Roxas looked at me, his face as calm as could be. "This could have been the other way around…" He paused for a moment and shifted his gaze to his feet. "…But it really has to be you."

I cocked an eyebrow, confused by his vagueness. "How are you here? I thought you were…" I trailed off.

Roxas smiled lightly and looked back into my eyes. "Because, Sora… I'm you."

My slacked jaw shut quickly, clicking my teeth together. I took a breath and composed myself. "No, Roxas. _You're_ you. You deserve to be your own person just as much as I do." To this, he simply shook his head in denial.

"I couldn't have existed if it weren't for you. But now, you can't exist completely without me. I hold half of you. Therefore, I kinda am you." He paused for a moment. "I'm just a Nobody- nothing but a shadow of you. I'm hardly a person, how could I exist on my own?" He asked rhetorically, but I answered nonetheless.

"It's true that you hold links in my chain of memories. But you deserve to be your own person, Roxas." I looked at the blond to find tears welling in his brilliant blue eyes, eyes that could have been my own.

"It's just not possible, Sora." He took my hands and I shot him a confused look. The moment I opened my mouth to question him though, memories flooded my brain. So many vivid images of Roxas's past stormed by brain to the point of an excruciating headache. I grunted in pain as the memories relentlessly crowded my head.

So many memories… Happy, as well as sad. There were several of Roxas with three teenagers, many of his time in the organization, but above all- memories of a certain redhead. The feelings Roxas felt with each memory effected my own emotions. Wow, he really loved Axel… I felt his pain, his joy, his love, _everything_.

As my vision cleared, I looked to Roxas. I regained awareness and felt tears drenching my face. My hands left Roxas's to dry my face and I looked back to the blond. A lop-sided smile tried to conceal the hurt he truly felt. But I could see right through him.

"Roxas…"

"I just wanted to show you… I guess it's only fair" He half chuckled, half scoffed. "Right?" His pained smile grew, still trying to hide the hurt.

I nodded and smiled warmly. "Ha, I guess so." Silence filled the town. After several quiet moments, I chimed in. "Roxas, you know that Axel…" I couldn't finish. How could I tell Roxas that I watched the love of his life die right before my eyes?

"I know." He stopped and looked back to his feet. "I was there too, ya know?"

"R-right… sorry" I stammered and looked to my own feet.

Silence crept in again and settled around us for what felt like forever. Then, Roxas spoke up.

"Axel made me a promise ya know?" He looked up to me and smiled genuinely. "And I know he's gonna keep that promise. He's a man of his word." I lifted an a eyebrow, confused by the way he was speaking of the redhead as if he were still… around.

"Roxas, he's-" But he cut me off.

"I talked to him. I don't know how… maybe it was just a dream. But he told me everything I wanted to hear. He'll keep that promise…" I grew worried by this odd behavior of Roxas's. Was he in denial of Axel's elimination?

"Roxas, Axel isn't-" But he cut me off again.

"I know. But Lea is." He grinned and looked me in the eyes.

"Huh?" I asked, clearly confused. But before I could continue, a muffled voice sounded.

"Sora, don't follow the dreams. They'll only lead you into darkness. You have to wake up, Sora." I looked around for a face to match the beautiful voice.

"Riku! Riku, where are you?" I called to the skies, frantically looking around, but received no reply. "Riku!" But the voice was gone.

When I turned back to Roxas, I found myself alone again.

-x-X-x-

I aimlessly walked through the familiar town. It had been deathly silent ever since Roxas left. That was, until a muffled voice chimed in again. I couldn't quite make out the words, but I knew the voice did not belong to Riku. I strained to listen, able to make out only a few words. Soon, me ears adjusted and I could hear a conversation.

"What can I do for you, Lea?"

_What? Did he just say…_

"H-how do you know who I am?"

"Can Roxas be separated from him?"

_Was this really Lea?_

"Thank you."

What? What happened? What's going on? Am I still dreaming all this? There's no way that was him. Right?


	8. The Power Of The Paopu

**Chapter 8**

"Power Of The Paopu"

**Okay, back to Lea! :)**

**(Short-ish chapter)**

-x-X-x-

The darkness clears and the scenery becomes visible. The crystal blue waters roll onto the shore ever so gently and I breathe in the serene setting. Salty ocean air fills my lungs and a smile makes its way across my lips. I was just so close to seeing Roxas again.

"Come on, let's go." I said coolly as I walked ahead of the blond man. My anger and rage toward the man seemed to slowly fade away with each roll of the waves on the shore. Something about this place just gave me a feeling of peace right down to my core.

Ansem merely 'mhm'ed in compliance and followed shortly behind me. As we walked away from the shore, not a single soul was around. "Where is everyone?" I said under my breath so only my ears could hear the words. I looked over my shoulder to the stoic man to find him standing straight as a board, arms tucked behind him, casually watching the ocean roll in. "So where do you think everyone is?" I said again, but this time to Ansem.

"I don't know. Maybe we should check the homes." He motioned his head toward the homes across the ocean. My jaw fell slack when I realized the island was nothing more than a hang out spot. No one actually _lived_ here. "Shit." I breathed a little too loudly. I searched the beach again, looking for any sign of a certain deep wine-haired girl. As the wharf entered my field of vision, I smiled fondly at the sight of the tree growing at its end. Without a second thought, my feet moved me down the wooden pier. Finally at its end, I reached for one of the fruits that had ripened perfectly on the odd tree. Sliding my fingers around the smooth surface of the star-shaped fruit, I smile down at it.

Footsteps from behind me became louder as I continued to admire the yellow star. "What's that?" I heard a voice that resembled nails on a chalkboard to my ears question me. "A paopu." I smiled wider as the name rolled off my tongue. "There's this legend that says if you share one with someone, your destined to stay together." I paused and stretched my smile as far as I could. "No matter what."

-x-X-x-

_"__Axel!" I heard a beautiful voice call my name from outside my room. Before I could respond, my door burst open. _

_"__Hey, Roxie." I welcomed the boy as I lounged on my bed playing with a book of matches. _

_"__IT smells like sulfur in here." The small blond crinkled his nose in a strangely adorable way._

_"__Hm, I couldn't imagine why…" I said sarcastically as I struck up another flame, tossing the charred remains of the other match into a glass of water beside my bed._

_"__Give me that!" Roxas said as he snatched away the matches. _

_"__Hey!" I said more out of shock than anger. I smiled lightheartedly, silently telling him I wasn't actually upset._

_"__You'll get over it birthday boy." He winked at me and laughed. This wasn't like Roxas at all. What happened to the shy, awkward Roxas? Ah, who cares? Shy and awkward or bold and mischievous, I love the kid to the bottom of my- er…_

_"__Axel?" My thoughts were interrupted when the blond boy called my name again. I raised an eyebrow in question and gave Roxas my full attention. _

_He sighed almost in an annoyed tone. "I said that I got you something!" His bubbly personality shone like the fucking sun. Why's he have to be so irresistibly adorable…?_

_Then, without warning, something ice cold filled my slacked jaw. "Mhmph!" I muffled out in shock, my eyes wide as I looked to Roxas. He had the cutest innocent smile painted on his face as he shoved the present in my mouth. _

_"__Happy birthday Axel!" He yelled and threw his hands above his head in excitement. "It's sea salt, our favorite!" He smiled at me, his big blue eyes seemingly sparkling. I took the stick of the ice cream between my index finger and my thumb to lower it from my mouth to speak. I chuckled at his actions and licked the blue liquid off my lips. _

_"__Thank you, Roxas." I said genuinely only to find the blond looking like a deer in the headlights. "W-what? Do I have something on my face?" I lifted a hand to my face and wiped around frantically incase there was some ice cream stuck there. _

_"__I think that's the first time you've called me Roxas…" His eyes slowly retreated back to their normal size and a smile crept across his face. "But you do have a little something on your face." He said with a mischievous glint in his cerulean eyes. Before I could wipe my face again, Roxas took the liberty of cleaning it up with his finger. As he leaned back, he placed the finger in his mouth and hummed in delight. "Mmm" Licking his lips tauntingly, he smiled innocently back at me. 'Damn tease…'_

_After I managed to calm my flaming red face, I stammered with y words for a moment. When the hell did Roxas get to be so… bold? After my brain finally managed to catch up, my words coming back to me."Uh… thanks." I said with a slight blush returning. No way in hell is Roxas gonna make me act like some school girl. I composed myself and returned to the original subject._

_"__What? No, I've called you Roxas before." I thought for a second. "Maybe…" I smiled sheepishly, realizing I really had never called him Roxas. It was always 'Roxie' or 'Rox' or 'Rox-ASS' or if I wanted to see a blundering blushing blond: 'Sweet Cheeks' That one always worked… I smirked as I recalled the last time I called him that._

_I mindlessly took a large bite out of my sea salt ice cream. "Ow!" I exclaimed at my teeth sunk into something that felt like a rock. "The hell?" I examined the ice cream. "What is that?" I asked the blond as I pointed out the strange object in the bar that I had just bit into. When I looked to Roxas, his eyes were downcast to his own ice cream in his hand. Upon closer inspection, I noticed his face was a furious shade of red. _

_"__I-it's half a paopu." I cocked a short eyebrow in complete confusion. _

_"__A what? And why only half?" _

_"__People say if you share one with someone, you're destined to stay together no matter what." As he finished explaining, he looked at me with unsure eyes and lifted his own ice cream. And sure enough, there in the center of the bar was the other half. _

_I smiled uncontrollably at the gesture and licked around the frozen piece of star-shaped fruit. _

-x-X-x-

I twirled the paopu around in my hand and chuckled softly.

"Ha, I wonder how he managed to get one of these." I looked back at the tree then to Ansem. He just stood there. I was a bit surprised in his lack of disgust toward my probably obvious feelings for Roxas.

"Ya know, Roxas was the only person I've ever loved." I said aloud as I stared out across the ocean, the sun just starting to dip into the horizon. 'Why am I telling him this?' I thought to myself as the words just seemed to flow out of my mouth at their own will.

"You cannot love without a heart." He said a little too cold for my liking. But I ignored it. I was too content to pick a fight.

"You know nothing." I said plainly. I paused for a moment before continuing. "What's your problem with Nobodies anyway?" I turned my head to look at the man beside me.

"They are a mistake." He said not angrily but almost…woefully.

"But are they really the ones at fault? I never chose to become a Nobody. None of us did." Ansem gathered the guts to look me in the eye. "Why hold so much hatred toward an innocent?" I looked at him intently.

"No, they aren't. I am." With that, he turned and stalked back to the shore.

Not wanting to press, I caught up to Ansem and opened a corridor of darkness. "Well, let's head over there." I said and stepped into the darkness. Ansem said nothing, but followed right on my heels.

And just like that, we were back in pursuit of the girl within another girl.

-x-X-x-

**Please don't forget to leave a review! I'd love to know how to improve and what you guys like :)**


	9. A Helping Hand

**Chapter 9**

"A Helping Hand"

I look around at the many houses scattered across the rolling hills of the mainland. A string of small mountains complete the picturesque scenery. This place really is beautiful. But where do I start? No one told me there were so many houses…

"So where does the kid live?" I asked as I scanned the area for the girl.

"I don't know." I looked back to see Ansem standing erect, hands tucked neatly behind his back. Arrogant bastard…

Without another word, I made my way to the nearest doorstep. After knocking respectfully, I took a step back and waited.

"Hold on a moment!" I heard a young woman's voice call.

I stood silently as I waited patiently before the cozy white home. Looking around, I took note of the place's quaint appearance. A stone path lead to the freshly timed front yard. At the end of the path stood a small, white house with red trimming. White curtains peeked from the windows. The dark wooden door before me contrasted the white of the house, yet fit the image perfectly. Everything about this place was just so pristine.

"Hello!" My thoughts were cut short as a blue-eyed brunette woman flung the door open. Immediately, the aroma of home cooking swept out the door and attacked my senses. It smelled delicious…

"Uh hi." I cleared my throat and put on my polite face. "Sorry to bother you ma'am. But would you happen to know Kairi?" The woman stared back at me, clearly a little confused by the strange cloaked man with wild red hair who was asking where a young girl was. Finally, she gathered her words and replied.

"Um, yes I do. Kari is my daughter. May I ask what you need her for?" The woman seemed nice enough, friendly even.

"You do? That's great! I just- um we have a friend in common so I was just wanting to meet her." I scratched nervously at the back of my neck, a sheepish smile playing at my mouth. The slender woman stared back at me for a moment.

"Of course, of course! She's off with her friends at the moment. I believe she's down at the beach, you might be able to catch her." The brunette woman smiled warmly as she wiped her hands on her flour-coated apron.

"Thank you very much!" I said excitedly as my smile grew wide enough so that my eyes squinted. I waved politely and turned on my heel. Picking up my pace, I dashed off in the direction of the ever-present ocean, completely ignoring any remarks by Ansem. My smile could not be detained. My excitement and joy seemed to just ooze out of me in the form of a toothy grin.

_This is really happening. I'm really going to get to see Roxas again soon. This is real…_

As the grass merged into sand, I could see a group of teenagers strewn across the beach. My eyes scanned the crowd, desperately searching for that wine-colored hair. And there it was. Standing beside a brunette and a blond stood the girl I was looking for. Before Ansem could catch up, I raced across the white sand.

My large hand gently grabbed her shoulder and turned her toward me. I looked at her face, basking in the familiarity of her visage. Wide eyes stared back at me. She looked… terrified.

"You!" The girl shrieked as she jumped away from my grasp.

"Long time no see." I replied plainly as I reached for her wrist.

"Get off me!" She yelled again, gaining anyone's attention within earshot. Several startled faces turned toward us. Damn, don't let her make a scene…

"Look, Kairi…" My voice cracked in a pleading tone. "Please. I need you. Please, come with me. Please."

"No! Get off!" She shook her arm from my grip and ducked behind the crowd.

"Kairi, please!" I chocked back tears. I was so close. Too damn close… "Kairi, there's something I need you to do. You're the only one who can. Please…"

"What do you need me for?" She asked inquisitively as she braved a step closer to me.

"Well, technically I need the er- other you."

"My other- oh." She chewed at her bottom lip as she realized what I meant.

"Kairi, please…" My tone was desperate. She looked into my pleading eyes and realized my anguish.

"Okay." Her voice was meek, almost a whisper. I immediately lit up into a bundle of smiles.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" I trailed off and took her hand. Leading her away from the confused and silent teens, I found a secluded place and opened the corridor of darkness.

"Just in time!" I called back playfully as Ansem shuffled toward us. He huffed in response and stepped ahead of me into the dark cloud. I followed suit and stepped into the darkness, the girl following right beside me.

-x-X-x-

"So what am I supposed to do?" Kairi asked as she sat in a chair in the middle of the nearly empty laboratory. I turned to Ansem, the man who hopefully had the answer.

"Just try to keep your mind blank." He said in his usual solemn tone. Kari nodded in response and tucked her hands between her closed knees. I leaned against the nearest wall and watched the scene unfold.

"Namine? Namine can you hear me?" Ansem called for the girl but didn't seem to get any reply. Not hard to believe, really. I mean, after how he treated her… Even if she could hear him, she might just ignore his attempts. Ansem huffed in annoyance after calling for the girl over and over.

"Namine, please." I pleaded as I peeled my body from the wall and walked toward the seated girl. "Nam, we need your help." Nothing. "Namine, please. I need Roxas back. I can't keep on living without him beside me. It's killing me. Please Namine…" My voice trailed off into a whisper as tears welled in my eyes. "Please." Everyone was silent. I held my breath as the air hung heavily around the three of us.

"Okay, Axel." I shot my eyes at Kairi who sat with her head ducked. Slowly, her head lifted and her eyes met mine. But they didn't feel like her eyes. No, those belonged to another girl I knew. Those eyes belonged to Namine. "I'll help you." My smile lit up my face as I dashed toward the girl.

"Namine! Oh thank you! Thank you!" I restrained myself from pulling the girl into a rib-crushing hug. "Can- would you be able to… extract memories?" The girl sat quietly for a moment before replying.

"Yes. But the person would need to fall into a deep slumber." My large hands gently gripped the girl's upper arms. My jaw hung slightly slacked as I gawked at the girl for a moment.

"Really? You can? But can you do it from this body?" I asked cautiously as I studied the blue eyes before me. Despite their brilliance, those eyes could never even compare to Roxas's.

Namine remained silent again. It felt like forever before she spoke up. "I don't know." She said simply.

The room fell silent again. The air around us felt uneasy. I stood up onto my feet and released my grip on the girl. My fists balled loosely and I looked back at the seated girl. "Then test on me." I said sharply. The girl's blue eyes caught my emerald ones again. They seemed to plea for my seriousness to fade. To beg for this to be a joke.

"Axel, I-" But I cut her short. "Namine, I need you to be able to do this." I took a breath and continued. "I don't care about the consequences, I just need you to be able to extract memories." I paused and looked directly into the girl's eyes. "I'm not asking." Silence once again filled the heavy air.

"But Axel, what if I mess up? What if something happens? What if I destroy your chain of memories? You might lose memories you don't want to lose!" Her voice showed the true terror she felt. I had never even thought about that. But nothing was more important than getting Roxas back. Roxas was more important to me than my own well being. I cared about Roxas far more than I cared about myself.

"I don't care. If I forget a few things, I don't care. Whatever it takes to get Roxas back…" My eyes were downcast as I contemplated my situation. _Nothing is more important than Roxas. _

The girl took a step forward and exhaled a sigh. Looking back up at me, her eyes displayed defeat.

"Okay. I'll do it."

-x-X-x-

"Okay, Axel. Are you ready?" Kari surrendered complete control to Namine. The girl within Kairi was now able to use the body at her own will. I stood inside a large white pod as the girl stood just out side it. I nodded and added a firm "yes." She nodded back and took a step backward to allow the pod to close. The large white walls began to close around me. Darkness soon replaced the light and my body fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

I felt as if I were floating. It was like floating through a sea of my own memories.

I felt like I was reliving each moment. Every memory seemed to replay itself at an incredible speed. Memories of my life in Hollow Bastion, memories of my time in the Organization, memories of Roxas…

-x-X-x-

"Axel! You're… fading away." Sora wailed as he crouched over my limp body.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you put your whole being into an attack. Not that Nobodies actually _have_ beings, am I right?"

"Axel, what were you trying to do?"

"I wanted to see Roxas. He… was the only one I liked. He made me feel like I had a heart…" I could feel my existence slipping away.

"Axel…" But it wasn't Sora's voice that breathed my name. Sitting beside me was a teary eyed blond. He was crying… for me?

"Roxas…" I whispered as my body slowly faded into the darkness. The boy never said anything. He just kept crying. The force of his sobbing caused him to double over. His face pressed into my chest as he mourned my impending death. Small hands grabbed fistfuls of my cloak as his tears flowed relentlessly. I was unable to move. I was dying, I couldn't console him. The only thing I could do was speak, and even that I could hardly manage to do.

"Roxas." His name just rolled off my tongue.

The world around me faded into black. A muffled cry sounded through the dark. Maybe I'm just crazy, but it sure sounded a hell of a lot like "I love you."

-x-X-x-

I cracked my eyes open as a blinding light cut through the dark. My vision adjusted to the new light and the blur cleared. My hands reached high above my head, cracking and popping the joints of my spine. I felt so refreshed…

"Axel?" A girl approached me cautiously. "You okay?" Her petrified eyes met mine and I grinned to prove I was fine. "Oh thank god! Looks like you'll be seeing Roxas soon then!" She smiled warmly at me. I looked at the smaller girl, my voice gritty from slumber.

"Who's Roxas?"

**Author's note: Thank you for reading, and don't forget to review! :)**


	10. Remember The Forgotten

**Chapter 10**

"Remember The Forgotten"

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**Author's Note: Dammnnn! I've been writing like a mad man lately! I guess that's good for those of who who are reading ;)**

**Anyway, I'm thinking the hiatus on my other stories will soon be lifted! School's coming to a close, and my busy schedule is finally leaving me with more free time. I'll most likely lift one hiatus, work on two for a while, then lift the other. **

**P.S. Thank you a million times over to anyone who id enjoying this story. It means a lot to have other people read and actually like that shit I make. But, enough sappy crap, back to the story!**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"Remember The Forgotten"

"What did you just say…?" I could have sworn the girl's jaw hit the floor. I don't get it, who are they talking about?

"I said, 'who's Rexis'?" The blue eyes staring at me softened, tears making themselves evident.

"Roxas." She corrected. "You… really don't remember him?" The tears that gathered in her eyes began to slip down her soft features. How am I supposed to remember someone I don't know? I placed a finger on my chin. I thought and thought until I felt my brain was going to explode. "No, I don't know who you're talking about." That's when she broke. She collapsed to the floor in a fit of sobs, gripping fistfuls of wine-colored hair.

"It's all my fault….It's _my _fault!" The tears were relentless. What the hell is going on? I'm fine. Why is Namine so upset? "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry Axel…" Sorry? For what? What's going on?

"Namine, I don't understand…. What's going on?" I squatted down to her level. With one hand, I rubbed her back comfortingly. Why is she in so much pain…?

"I knew I'd fuck something up…" Her sobs had quieted as she spoke through sniffles. Her tone was dark. I knew that tone. I knew that kind of pain. But why? I couldn't remember ever experiencing such heart-wrenching pain. But somehow, I know I have.

"Namine? What are you talking about?" I continued my slow circles on her hunched back.

"I guess w-when I pieced your chain of memories back together…" She paused to take a breath, her choppy breaths of sobs returning. "I must have messed up. And now, you can't remember him…" Her head dropped back into her hands as her fit of hysteria returned.

"Who was he?" I asked cautiously but curiously.

"He was your best friend." She chuckled a bit at her thoughts.

"What?"

"He was the whole reason I'm here. You came to me to get him back. And now…" She scoffed. "Now you can't even remember him." She drew in a shaky breath. "And it's all my fault." Tears began to stream down her face again and she buried her weeping visage into her hands once again.

"It's okay." I paused for a moment when she wide eyes met mine. Her eyes told me she didn't believe me. "I don't blame you." I rubbed her back again soothingly. "So stop feeling guilty. I told you to do it, did I not?" She meekly nodded and drew in a sniffle. "So really, it's my fault." I patted her back gently as I rose to my feet. I offered one of my hands to her and helped her stand. Once she was steady on her own two feet, I pulled the poor girl into a reassuring embrace. "It'll be okay."

"Axel?" I heard the girl say my name in a muffled voice as her face was pushed into my shoulder.

"Hmm?" I hummed in question as I held her.

"Axel get off." My brows furrowed in confusion. I gently gripped the girl's upper arms and studied her face. I knew that look. That pouty, I-hate-you-but-I-am-going-to-try-and-be-civil look. I grinned sheepishly and let go of the girl. "Ha, welcome back Kairi."

I spun around on my heels and headed for the door. Not bothering to look back, I simply waved my hand about and said, "I'm gonna head out. Ansem, be a doll and escort this young lady home." As I exited the room, I could hear Ansem say something to Kairi. After the voices quieted, the unforgettable sound of a corridor of darkness being opened sounded. I huffed to myself as I pulled open the enormous doors of the building and stepped outside. The day was so sunny and beautiful. Too bad there was a damn metaphorical rain cloud following me around…

-x-X-x-

_I was sitting up somewhere high. Someone else was with me, but I couldn't picture a face or imagine a voice. In my hand was a blue bar of ice cream. I don't know why, but I feel so happy. I feel like I've just won the damn lottery or something. Weird…_

_ I can hear a voice beside me. I can't make out a single word though. Their voice sounds like I'm trapped in a bubble. What's going on? And why am I so damn happy? I can't stop smiling. _

-x-X-x-

"Yeah, best friends forever…" I subconsciously mumbled as I woke from slumber. I looked around at my surroundings. Evidently, I took a little cat nap under some tree. But what was that whole 'best friends' thing? Weird. I shrugged it off and climbed to my feet. _I was probably just delusional from my nap. _Stretching my hands high above my head, I could hear my joints popping and cracking from their stiffened positions. Feeling that my body was a little more loosened up, I casually strode toward the heart of town.

I looked down at my cloak. It was a little worse for wear to say the least… My fingers toyed with the loose seams and surface tears in the material. "Damn…" I sighed and stuffed my hands in my pockets. Pulling out a pouch of Munny that I had thrown in my pocket the other day, I quickly examined the contents and estimated how much I had. "Hmph. Probably enough to get a new pair of clothes…" I pulled the drawstring and closed the pouch, stuffing it back into my tattered pocket.

Reaching the center of town, I looked around for a decent clothing store. Spotting a small strip mall, I sauntered over and pulled the door open. The bell above the door dinged and I was immediately greeted by some teenage clerk. "Not in the mood, buddy." I said under my breath as I ignored the stupid sales pitches. After finally finding the men's clothing, I poked about the section. "Hmph. Not much of a selection." I said in a hushed tone to myself as I raked my fingers across the rack of t-shirts. "I guess this will have to do." I walked into a changing room and put on my selection. When I looked into the mirror, I was slightly surprised at how different I looked. Definitely different… but somehow in a good way.

I smirked at my reflection. The red-haired man in the mirror sported black, slightly baggy, ripped skinny jeans. The white button up shirt poked out of the black crew neck sweater at the bottom and the collar. A pair of falsely worn-in black combat boots covered his feet. I looked…good.

After pulling off all the tags, I walked to the counter and handed over the squares of paper. "I'm buying what I'm wearing." I said nonchalantly as the register boy gave me a confused look. "Oh! And this… and this." I said as I tossed a silver shuriken necklace over my head and plucked a hair elastic from the package. After tossing the tag from the necklace and the package of hair ties on the counter, I looked back to the teen at the register. He seemed flat out lost. I cocked an eyebrow as I began pulling my untamed spikes into my hand. "You gonna scan those or am I getting this for free?" I asked through my teeth as my elastic rested between them.

"Uh-uh yeah." He swept together the tags and began scanning each one. As I watched, I tugged the elastic around my wild hair, securing it in a frizzy ponytail. "Do-do you want a bag…?" He asked timidly. I cocked my eyebrow again at his stupidity. "No." I said as if it were obvious. Because clearly, it was. Why would I want a bag full of paper tags? I handed over the Munny for the clothes and walked off. "Okay, have a nice day." He said to my backside as I exited the store, waving curtly behind me.

I tucked my cloak into my body between my arm waiter-style. As I walked back toward Ansem and Ienzo, a certain sign caught my eye. "Sea salt ice cream? Hmm…"

The walk back home was rather uneventful. I walked alone, eating my blue ice cream. For some reason, I got these butterflies in my stomach every time I looked at the blue bar. I thought hard about it. Why does this stupid ice cream make me feel so happy? As I licked up the melting bar, a realization hit me.

_Wait a second!_ Wasn't I eating this shit in my dream? Yeah, yeah I was! I was sitting up above Twilight Town eating one of these blue bars. I was with someone. Someone who made me feel special. I can't describe it. The only word I can think to describe the feeling was… love.

Sucking off the last bits of blue liquid, I pulled the stick from my mouth. I held it between my fingers, just about to toss it aside into the grass. But the little markings on the end of it caught my eye.

'_WINNER'_

"Hm." I smiled gently. I couldn't tell you why, but it just made me happy. I smiled the whole way back. When I entered, Ienzo even commented on my facial expression.

"What's got you so giddy?" He asked as his steps halted to get a better look at my smiling face.

"Don't know!" I said as I flashed a toothy grin and walked to my room.

-x-X-x-

_ And there I was again, sitting high above twilight town, feeling as happy as can be. I was eating another one of those ice creams. I bit into it and felt the chill creep through my body. Still, I could hear a muffled voice saying things I couldn't understand. I couldn't see anyone either. But I could… feel their presence. It sounds odd, but their presence was strong. Even though I couldn't see or barely hear them._

_ "Who are you?" I asked as my grip on my ice cream loosened and it plummeted to the ground. "Damn, my ice cream!" I cursed at the bar as it made its decent to the Earth. _

_ "You don't remember me? Come on, Axel!" The voice was now clear as day. So familiar, yet so foreign. "I thought we were best friends forever!" I could hear a smile in his voice. _

_ "I-I'm sorry." Why does my heart hurt so much? "I didn't mean to forget you Roxas." What? Where did that come from? How did I know this person's name?_

_ "So you _**_do_**_ remember me? I guess the memory of me is just buried deep in your heart. Good to know I haven't disappeared completely…" He sounded sad…_

_ "Were we… together?" I asked curiously. He laughed a little at this._

_ "No, not really." He thought for a moment. "It was more like… Skinny love." He laughed a little more at this. But it wasn't a happy laugh. No, it was a sad laugh. _

_ "Skinny love?" I asked curiously._

_ "Yeah, you know. Like when two people clearly love each other but never admit it."_

_ "Oh, I see." I sat and thought for a moment. "Roxas?" _

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "I know I can't really remember you right now…" I stopped and thought for a moment. "But I know for sure that I am in love with you." _

-x-X-x-

I woke up that morning in a daze. I felt like I had just had the best dream. Too bad I couldn't remember a single damn thing… I stretched my limbs out in every which way, cracking my stiffened joints. I sat up from my bed and looked to the mirror that faced me. My hair was absolutely insane… I rubbed the palms of my hands over my face, digging my heels into my eyes. "Ugh" I groaned aloud and threw my blankets off. As I inspected myself closer in the mirror, I was hit with the reminder that I no longer sported upside down tear drops under my eyes. I kinda miss them… I stroked the barren skin of my cheek bones where my tattoos used to lie.

My fingers found their way to the necklace still resting on my collarbones. I twirled the four-pronged metal piece around. I don't know why I was so drawn to it at the store. My fingers ran across the smooth metal, admiring its beauty. My train of thought, however, was cut short by distant thumping in the hallway.

I turned my head to the door as a strange thumping sound began to barrel down the halls behind my door. "The hell?" I said to myself as the thundering neared my room. Then, all of a sudden, my door flew open and I was pounced on. "Ah!" I yelped in surprise as a body roughly the same size as my own came crashing down on me, wrapping me in a lung-crushing embrace.

"Ax- I mean Lea! Holy shit it's really you!" My eyes widened at the familiar voice. _No fucking way… _I leaned back to get a better view, all doubt leaving my mind.

"Myde?!"

"Lea!" He hugged me tighter and squealed in happiness. "Ah, I can't believe it!" He finally released me and held me at arm's length. "I missed you, man!" He hugged me again quickly then propped himself on his knees. Suddenly his aura became very serious. "Listen, I heard about Roxas…"

"Who?" I asked, hardly remembering even the name. "Oh." I said as I recalled what happened in the lab yesterday.

"But don't worry!" His bubbly happy-go-lucky vibe was back in full. "We'll get him back! No need to fear, Myde is here!" He flashed that ridiculously happy smile of his then pulled me to my feet. "Come on! We gotta get going!"

"What? Where?" I asked as a smile pulled at my lips.

"You'll see…" He looked back at me, mischievously wiggled his eyebrows, and tugged on my arm a little harder as he picked up his pace. "Now get a move on slow poke!"

And before I knew what was happening, I was being dragged around the halls of the castle. _What the hell is this guy up to?_ Suddenly, I was blinded by bright sunlight. I squinted my eyes and raised my free arm to shield my tired eyes. As my eyes adjusted, I looked around and realized where I was.

"Why are we here?" I asked as we came to stop in the entrance to the building.

"Grab your cloak and stop asking so many damn questions!" Myde scolded me and threw my grungy black coat at me. "Put it on!" He instructed happily. I zipped up the top to my chest then zipped the bottom up to nearly my waist so my legs were free. _It feels so… nostalgic._

The distinct sound of a portal opening caught my attention. I whipped around to find Myde standing beside a dark cloud, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. He held out a hand toward the entrance. "Ladies first!" He said sarcastically as I chuckled and stepped into the darkness.

_Where the hell were we going…?_

-x-X-x-

**Sora POV**

"Don't chase the dreams Sora! You have to wake up!" I could hear Riku's muffled voice calling for me.

"Riku? Riku, where are you?" No one answered. "Riku!" I yelled, but I was alone.

I huffed in defeat and continued wandering aimlessly through the streets of Traverse Town. I miss Riku… Out of the corner of my eye, a flash of black streamed by me. "What the?" I questioned aloud. "Hey!" I called out to the cloaked figure, but received no response. I found my feet carrying me toward them as fast as they could.

"Sora, don't chase the dreams. They'll only lead you into an abyss of darkness. You gotta wake up Sora." I heard Riku call again, distracting me from my chase. I felt so conflicted. I wanted to find out who that was, but the booming voice that sounded like Riku told me 'no'. I stood for a second, looking around futilely for Riku. I turned my attention back to where the person ran off, only to find no one. I huffed in annoyance and walked down a random alleyway. There, standing at the end, I came face to face with the hooded person.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously.

I got no reply. A hand reached up to the hood, unveiling their face. My eyes widened at the person before me.

"Roxas?" Eyes that could have been my own locked onto mine. He was still smiling that sad little smile of his.

"Hi again." He said simply. I stared at him for another moment.

"How- why are you here?"

"I'm always with you Sora. You just can't always see me." He looked away from me to stare at the sky. "You know, Axel promised he was gonna bring me back." The sadness behind his voice was so obvious.

"Roxas… You've gotta believe him. You know he'd do anything for you…" My heart hurt from the pain Roxas was emitting. But his sad smile remained. As he stared to the night sky, a tear rolled down his smoothed features. "Roxas…" I thought I just might cry too.

"He's forgotten about me." Roxas chewed at his lip, his smiling-sad facade never faltering. Tears began to flow more freely as Roxas continued to look at the starless sky above.

"Roxas, what are you talking about? He would never be able to forget you." This pain in my chest was terrible. I felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Was this the pain Roxas felt?

"No, he has." He scoffed, never tearing his gaze from the sky. "Guess he can't really uphold a promise he forgot about…" His tears dripped onto the pavement below our feet. Roxas never once showed another signs of his sobs beside his tears. His breathing remained steady, his body remained stiff…his facade was nearly perfect.

"Roxas…" The pain was unbearable. Tears formed in my own eyes as I clenched my shirt directly above my heart. I winced at the feeling."Roxas! Roxas, if he can't remember…" I growled in agony. "…then I will! I'll get you back to him. I promise!"

Roxas's eyes shifted from the sky to me. He looked at me intently. "Sora, don't make promises you can't keep." Tears still rolled down his sad-smiling face.

"I don't." I said firmly before my eyes squinted from the pain. Suddenly, the pain stopped. My death grip on my shirt released and my eyes opened.

He was gone.

-x-X-x-

_"Ha! Looks like we're paired up for a mission today!" I said cheerily as I approached a smaller male. I couldn't see his face, but I knew him._

_ "Really? Where to?" He asked in that familiar voice._

_ "Twilight Town!" I could feel my lips curl into a wide grin._

_ The next thing I know, I was lounging in the grass. My arms were tucked behind my head as I stared at the trains below the hill I was on. The other person was sitting crosslegged, pulling out blades of grass from the earth. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. I felt completely at peace. _

_ "Axel?" I heard the familiar voice call._

_ "What's up Roxie?" I knew his name, or rather his nickname. I don't know how, but I knew a few things about this person. One: We were close, best friends I think. Two: He was short- that's all I could make out from his distorted figure. And three: I was head-over-heels in love with him._

_ "Do you think Saix will find out about today?" He asked timidly as he pulled more blades of grass from the ground, trying to calm his nerves. _

_ "Nah, I don't think so. Even if he does, I'll take the blame." I shrugged uncaringly. _

_ "What? No you don't have to-" _

_ "Rox, it's my fault anyway. I basically dragged you away from the mission." I laughed at my antics. "So I'll take the blame for blowing off our mission today. Besides, wasn't today way more fun? I mean, come on! You liked playing hooky, right? Hanging out with me and eating sea salt ice cream is way more fun than poking giant black globs until they explode! Right?" I looked to the abstract figure I knew as Roxas for confirmation. _

_ He simply half scoffed, half chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it was." Suddenly, handfuls of grass were thrown at me, covering my body. _

_ "Agh! Hey!" I said as I quickly jolted up and brushed off the grass. Roxas just laughed at me as I frantically rubbed my clothes and shook my body. _

_ "You've got a little in your hair." Roxas chuckled the words as he leaned in close to me. I could feel my cheeks warm by the close contact. Roxas's fingers fished the contrasting blades of green out of my hair. I openly stared at his visage the whole time. Unfortunately, I still couldn't make out his face. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I was looking right at the most beautiful person on this planet. _

-x-X-x-

"Lea!" Myde's voice broke through my state of slumber and jolted me into consciousness. My tired eyes cracked open to see my mohawked friend hovering above me.

"Hm?" I hummed, still dazed from sleep.

"Jesus, what the hell happened? The second we came out on the other side of the corridor, you just passed out." A worried expression engulfed his face. His brows were firmly knitted together as he continued to study my face.

"I did? Oh. Well, I'm fine." I groggily climbed to my feet and looked around. "Where are we?" I asked, but immediately found the place familiar. "Hey…" I said under my breath with the realization.

"You remember this place?" His tone was serious, something you never hear from him.

"Y-yeah vaguely…" I stared at my surroundings, the nostalgic feeling overwhelming me.

"Well that's good. You haven't forgotten completely then." I looked to Myde, his serious facade shifting into a gently smile as he looked out at the scenery.

"Why do I know this place?" I asked curiously as I ran my fingers along the familiar concrete.

"I can't tell you. You have to remember on your own." He looked at me compassionately as I peered around. _Why do I know this place…?_

"I see…" I said plainly as I walked around the small area.

"What do you remember about this place?" Myde questioned me cautiously.

"Hmm…" I thought for a moment, trying to recollect my recent dreams. But it seemed as if the second I woke up, I forgot everything I had dreamt. "Not much. I just remember being here with… _someone_, eating this weird ice cream." I looked back to my friend to find him with a mile-wide smile painted across his face. "What?"

"That's good. You remember a lot more than I thought you would considering… what happened." His smile faded slightly and his tone dropped to a more serious level.

"Look, Myde. You don't have to talk about it like its some dark secret or something." I sighed and crossed my arms loosely. "I know that I forgot about that kid." Immediately, Myde's smile disappeared completely. His jaw fell slightly slack as he gawked at me. "What?" I asked, raising a stout eyebrow.

" 'That kid'? 'That kid', Lea? I know you forgot about him, but…" He seethed as he spoke of my choice of words. "But he's more than just some kid. His name is _Roxas_." Shaking his head in disbelief, he continued. "I know you haven't forgotten about him completely…" His tone instantly shifted to probably the saddest one I've ever heard him speak.

"Myde…" But he cut me short.

"That necklace…" His eyes widened as he pointed to the shuriken around my neck. "W-where did you get that?" His disbelieving eyes looked from my necklace to my own eyes.

"Um… at the store yesterday?" What's his deal?

"Why did you choose that particular necklace?" He was certainly intrigued by my choice of jewelry…

"I don't know… I was just sorta drawn to it I guess." My eyebrow lifted higher as Myde's stare intensified. After a long gawk, he leaned back into his normal standing position. Placing his hands on his hips triumphantly, he chuckled.

"Ha, I guess you really _haven't_ forgotten."

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**Author's Note: Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! Good or bad, I want to hear what you think so far. I really want to make this story the best I can, so it always helps when you guys tell me what I need to work on or what you like. If you like this story, don't worry, it will definitely have plenty more chapters to come! Thank you so, so much for reading! :)**


	11. See You In My Dreams

**Chapter 11**

"See You In My Dreams"

_"I miss this." The blond beside me looked out at the town below us as he took a bite of his ice cream. _

_"Yeah…" I agreed weakly as I took a bite out of my own blue bar. Trains were running, children were laughing, it's as if nothing's happened. _

_"Look at that, I've basically died and nothing's changed. The world is still turning without me…" My eyes shot over to the sad-smiling blond. _

_"Roxas, you are __**not**__ dead. I may not be able to see your physical body or remember you when I'm awake, but you're still very much alive." I smiled sympathetically at my companion. "Besides, I'm the one that actually died!" He chuckled a little at my joking demeanor. _

_"I know, it was pretty brutal." He bit his lip, his expression falling somber._

_"What? How would you know?" He smiled warmly at me, warm enough for me to melt._

_"I was there ya know?" I cocked an eyebrow and tilted my head, completely confused. "Sora? I'm kinda always with him…" _

_"Oh, right…" My gaze fell downcast to the neglected ice cream in my hands. _

_"I wanted to see you too…" I turned my attention to a blushing blond that couldn't meet my gaze. "Did I really make you feel… like that?" He twirled the wooden stick between his fingers as his eyes remained fixated on it._

_"Yeah, you did." I smirked fondly at the memories that came back to me in fragments. I turned my head back to the boy beside me. He was staring at me, his eyes a little wide and his cheeks a little pinker than usual. "You were the only one that made me question what they were all telling us about not having a heart." His blush deepened- this was fun… "And of course it helped that you're utterly adorable!" Beat fucking red- success! I laughed at the flustered blond and patted him reassuringly on the back. _

_"Don't say such stupid things, Axel…" _**_Axel_**_… That's right, that's what Roxas knew me as. While my thoughts occupied my mind, Roxas composed himself from his intense blush. "Hey Axel?" I turned to look at the boy beside me. He was staring at me rather intensely. _

_"Yeah?" I asked as he continued to openly watch me. _

_"Your…" He tapped a finger on his cheek. "…tattoos?" I scratched my cheek where one used to lie. _

_"Oh, yeah. I guess when I was put back into my body, they didn't tag along with my memories." I lifted the ice cream in my hand and licked at the drippings, smacking my lips in content. "You know, I kinda miss being called Axel…" I looked out at the quiet town and the ocean far in the distance. The sun seemed to be stuck in the position of sunset, covering the entire scene before me in a warm blanket of oranges and reds. _

_"Well, I like calling you Axel." He looked at me and smiled that irresistibly cute smile of his. _

_"So what now?" I asked as I licked the remaining liquid off the wooden stick. Roxas cocked an eyebrow and looked at me a little puzzled._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I mean, are we supposed to just keep doing this?" My hands motioned around us. "Where I go to sleep and see you, but when I wake up…" I sighed in aggravation with myself. "When I wake up, I can't even remember who you are." My head lolled back and I allowed my body to lay against the hard surface of the clocktower. _

_"I don't know." Roxas turned his attention to me and laid his body beside my own. We both stared up at the red-stained sky. "But, its nice isn't it?" We both turned our heads to look one another in the eye. "Being able to see each other again?" He smiled and kept his eyes locked onto mine. "It's nice..."_

_I grinned and stared right back. "Yeah, it definitely is…" My words trailed off and I paused for a moment to gather my words. "But… Can you really blame me for wanting the real Roxas? I mean, I miss you Rox. I might not remember you when I'm conscious, but I can feel like something's missing. I walk around with this fucking hole in my chest without even knowing why. I miss you. God do I fucking miss you. Dreams aren't enough for me. Maybe that's selfish, but I can't keep doing this without you…" I let out a breath as the words quickly fell from my mouth. I am __**not**__ going to cry, damn it… _

_"Axel?" I looked to the blond and I immediately took my words back as tears fell from my emerald eyes. I squeezed them shut tight and looked away from Roxas. "Ax, look at me?" I shook my head like a child and chocked out jagged sobs. "Axel." Roxas said my name firmly and cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. "You aren't selfish. So stop beating yourself up. The fact that you'd go so far just to get me back…" He stopped for a moment and something in his eyes softened. But he didn't continue, he just stared at me._

_"Roxas…?" His softened eyes refocused and I had his attention. _

_"The fact that you'd go so far just to get me back…" He paused again. "…you're really stupid you know?" He grinned a cute little smile and his grip on my face loosened. _

_"I know." I said through my grin. _

_Silence filled the air and lingered for quite a while before either of us said a word. We laid on our backs, staring at the perpetual sunset. It was peaceful. Having Roxas in my company again was like an enormous void in my heart had been filled. Sure I may not remember him when I awake, but this was enough for the moment. It reminded me of _**_why_**_ I'm putting myself through hell. It's for him, it's always been for him. And that, I have no problem with. _

_"Hey, Axel?" I jolted out of my trance and looked to the blond beside me._

_"Yeah?" I asked and propped my chin onto my hand. _

_"I think you're waking up…" The somber look in his eye told me he was right… That and my fading body. _

_"Oh, I guess I am…" My gaze shifted from Roxas's sad blue eyes to my newly transparent hand. "Roxas, wait for me. Okay?" He smiled at me, and I returned the gesture. "I made a promise." _

_"Okay." The smile tugging at the corners of my mouth was relentless. _

_The familiar world around me began to shift out of focus as my physical body began to wake from its slumber. My vision became shrouded by darkness and I was alone again. Roxas was gone- again._

-x-X-x-

My eyes cracked open and the bright sun light streaming in from behind the curtains blinded me. I dug my palms into my eyes, trying to rub away my lingering fatigue. As I reached my hands high above my head, a yawn escaped my mouth and I stumbled to my feet. My tired legs were hardly able to support me as I made my way to the bathroom. I flicked on the light, and looked into the mirror. The man staring back at me didn't look like myself whatsoever. Dark crescents rested below my eyes, my already wild hair was sticking in every direction, I looked skinnier than ever… I resembled a mad man.

Something, I can't exactly pinpoint _what_, has been eating away at me. Its like there's this gaping hole in my chest. Like something in my life is missing that makes it feel…. meaningless. I don't know as if I've ever suffered depression like this before. Sure there was that time several years ago where I experienced a little bout of depression. But _this_? I felt empty. I felt like my life no longer contained any worth; like I had no value. I feel like something is missing. It's as if my life were one of those Jenga© towers. You pull one important piece, and everything goes to shit. The problem is- I don't know what piece I'm missing. And that just makes matters worse. I don't know how to fix it because I don't know what it is that needs fixing.

Long story short- I'm a fucking mess.

"Leeaaa!" A way-too-fucking-chipper voice called for me from just out side my door. I mentally began the countdown _3…2…1…._ And as if on cue, Myde burst through my door.

"Goooood Morning sunshine!" I shot daggers at the bubbly blond, silently telling him to **fuck off**. "Oookay… guess someone got their monthly bill…." Was he trying to piss me off?

"Myde, what the _fuck_ do you want?" The harsh words escaped through clenched teeth as I held my temper back to the best of my abilities. The idiot just made cat noises and scratching gestures at me in response.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could go back to the clock tower and-" I slammed the door in his face and yelled back to him.

"I'm not in the mood Myde, fuck off!" Okay, so maybe I don't have good anger management skills…

I climbed back into bed, determined to sulk the day away. Hopefully Myde would leave me be. After buying myself in my blankets, sleep once again found me. Thank god…

-x-X-x-

_"You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!" Was I saying that? I know that's my voice, but I feel like I can't control my own body. I feel like I'm a spectator…_

_"No one would miss me…" The blond before me never met my gaze. He just walked away. _

_No, I know how this goes. I know what happens. If Roxas leaves, he'll forget all about me. I remember this, I can't let him go. But I can't move. _**_Damn it! _**_The only words I could manage were the ones I knew he would never hear._

_"That's not true. I would…" _

-x-X-x-

When I woke up for the second time that day, the sun was high in the afternoon sky. Myde apparently had got the message and let me be. I counted my lucky stars for that. Unfortunately, I'm in no better mood than I was this morning. The only remedy for a shitty day that I could think of was sulking in bed. So I did just that. Sure, wallowing in my pit of depression won't help. But that's all I could get myself to do- sleep and indulge in a little self loathing. Okay, maybe a lot of self loathing…

I rolled up my sleeve and looked at the tattered skin. My finger traced the hills and valleys of scar tissue in thought. _Should I?_ I started asking myself this question a lot lately.

My index finger instinctively sparked a small flame. The orange light danced at the top of the digit, emitting a comforting warmth. Lowering the flame to my blemished wrist, I bit hard on my lower lip. But something inside me stopped my attempt at bodily harm. The light vanished in a puff of smoke and instead I pushed flesh to flesh rather than fire. _What's wrong with me?_ I sat for a moment, wondering what the hell just happened. _Why couldn't I do it? I've done it a million times before. I wasn't scared. So why couldn't I do it? _

My knees folded into my chest and my cheeks pressed into them. I sat like that for a while, just thinking. I hadn't even realized I was crying until the tears drenched my knees.

_What the fuck is wrong with me?_


	12. Phantom Pain

**Chapter 12**

"Phantom Pain"

_"Axel? Do you think if I had a heart, I could love somebody?" My gaze shot over to the blond boy beside me. He sat there eating his ice cream, casually looking out over Twilight Town._

_"What? Where did that come from?" I chuckled at his bluntness. This kid…_

_"I don't know… Just curious." He slowly lapped up the dripping blue salty-sweet drops. What I would give to- "Axel?" I immediately was brought back to reality. _

_"Hm? Yeah?" Play it innocent, real smooth Axel… _

_"Oh, uh you were just staring… I figured you were spacing out or something." His tongue continued to lick up the melting ice cream and I was struggling to focus on anything else. _

_"Oh ha ha sorry." I scratched at the back of my neck with my free hand, a sheepish smile on my face. "Just lost in thought." Roxas hummed in understanding and took another bite. _

_"What were you thinking about?" I glanced over to find him staring at me. _**_Shit, shit, shit._**_ Why did he have to ask?_

_"Uhh…" I scratched under my spikes, avoiding his eyes. Roxas cocked his blond little head, awaiting my response. "I was just thinking about…" I looked back at him with a sincere expression, speaking with a matching tone. "…You." _

_His eyes shot open wide as his cheeks stained a lovely color of rouge. He began stammering nervously like he always did when things got uncomfortable. "Wh-why were you thinking about me?" I chuckled at his demeanor. He's fucking adorable…_

_" 'Cause, silly…" I paused and looked deep into the captivating cerulean eyes before me, finding myself lost in their beauty for a minute. "You asked if you could love somebody." _

_"W-what does that have to do with anything?" I shook my head and laughed again at his obliviousness. _

_"It means that obviously, we can love- even if we don't have hearts." A blond eye brow raised in confusion. Man, he really is dense sometimes._

_"What do you me-"_

_"Jeez, Rox! Do I have to spell it out for you?" I said between chuckles. _

_He opened his mouth to speak, but I wouldn't let him keep asking questions. I grabbed a fistful of his collar and pulled him close until our lips crashed together. He didn't react at first, just sat there wide-eyed and stiff as a board. I'm talking about his whole body you pervert… Finally, Roxas loosened up a bit. His lips melded with my own as he matched my actions. Soon, our lips were ravenously moving together, tongues tasting each other. I couldn't get enough. The taste of Roxas was just amazing. Fuck sea salt ice cream, I'd much rather taste him. _

_The hand that was holding my ice cream carelessly dropped it to the ground far below us. I cupped Roxas's smaller face with both of my hands, trying desperately to deepen the kiss. With the same vigor, Roxas's small nimble fingers twined themselves into my hair. He pushed and pulled at my locks as both of our breaths became labored. I didn't want to stop, and clearly, neither did Roxas. We were panting, sweaty messes. _

_I drew my lips back just far enough so that our mouths were mere centimeters apart. Our hot breaths brushed each other's lips as we both tried to get some air. "Roxas…" I breathed his name as my thumb brushed the stray blond spikes from his face. He hummed tiredly as his eyes shifted from my kiss-swollen lips to lock on to my eyes. "Are sure you don't have a heart?" _

-x-X-x-

"Lea? Leeaaa!" I cracked my tired eyes open to find Myde hovering above me. "Finally! Jesus, man! You've been out for like two days!" I grumbled as the sunlight blinded my sleepy eyes. I squinted and looked around the room. Had I really been asleep for two days…?

"What time is it?" My voice sounded horrible, so gritty and coarse.

"I think it's like 2 o'clock." He looked around for a clock, but found nothing. I hummed and forced my heavy body into a sitting position.

"Have I really been out for two days?" I asked weakly as I rubbed my eyes harshly.

"Yeah, man! You were like in a coma or something!" His wide eyes lidded in seriousness as his tone shifted to a more sullen one. "I've never seen you like this…" He looked me over worriedly. "What's up?"

I stared at him, trying to think of how to say it. I didn't even understand what was wrong. For seemly no reason, I've just fallen into this horrible depression. Its like someone's ripped half of my heart from my chest. Like something vital in my life is gone. And I don't even know _what_. The only thing I've found that makes me feel better is sleep. I never remember a single thing about my dreams, but I figure it's something about them that gives me some satisfaction. Its some form of escape from reality I guess.

"I don't know." I finally replied after sitting in silence.

"Is it about Roxas?" His face looked liked he was treading on thin ice.

"Roxas? Who's- Oh, right." I almost forgot. I mean, I don't remember him, but his name sounded familiar. For some reason, hearing his name makes that feeling in my chest 10 times worse. Maybe it does have something to do with him… "Maybe…" I said unsurely.

"Look, Lea…" Myde took a seat beside me on my bed. He looked at me sympathetically and rubbed my back in an effort to comfort me. "I know this situation is fucked up. You might not remember Roxas, but he's definitely effecting you. I mean, how could he not? I guess he's etched himself into your heart, huh?" He cracked the slightest smile. "I guess he means too much to you to be able to be forgotten."

I gawked at the mohawked blond beside me. Myde was never so serious. But I suppose he was right. He might seem like an idiot, but he's one of the smartest guys I know. Not like Ienzo though, Myde is street-smart, maybe even a street-genius.

I didn't say anything, I just nodded, But my heart was aching again. Tears threatened to push from my eyes. I don't understand… But that didn't stop them from coming. And come they did. Tears streamed from my eyes like a dam had just been broken. I turned my head to rest on Myde's should and let myself cry. There was no point in trying to hold it in. I don't know if I've ever cried that hard in my life. I was a shaking, sniveling mess.

"Myde…" My forehead rested on his shoulder and my sobs began to calm as I spoke.

"Yeah?" He said sweetly as he rubbed circles on my back. He was such a good friend…

"My heart hurts."

"I know."

-x-X-x-

I woke up to a dark room and a pounding head. Myde was asleep in the chair beside my bed. He knew about my little self harming problem. I guess he wanted to make sure I didn't try anything. I really didn't deserve such a good friend. I always treated him like shit and what did he do? He forgave me _every time_ and kept on trying to help me.

I sat up from my bed and stretched my stiff joints. Grabbing a fistful of blankets, I threw them off me and swung my legs over the side of my bed. My feet touched the cold floor, sending a shiver through my heated body. I climbed onto my feet and attempted to balance on my exhausted legs. I hadn't been on my feet in probably 3 days. I staggered to the bathroom, and flicked on the light. The man in the mirror staring back at me was not myself. Oh yeah, I also hadn't eaten in 3 days, had I…?

My cheeks were sunken in, dark circles rested under my eyes, my skin was dull- almost grey, my eyes lost any sheen they had left, and I smelled just like you'd imagine. I looked horrible. I raised a shaky hand to my face and stroked the dead-looking skin. The door behind me creaked open, revealing Myde in the doorway.

"It's really taking a toll on you." His arms were crossed as he spoke in a concerned tone.

"I guess so…" I said as I looked back at the stranger in the mirror. "I think I'm gonna take a shower. Try and wake myself up, ya know?" I gestured to the shower and Myde nodded.

"Okay, I'll be in your room if you need me." I nodded back and the door closed. Taking one last look in the mirror, I began stripping off my clothes.

The ice cold water felt like pins and needles, but it was needed. I felt a little more alive in contrast to the feeling of death that resided inside me. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. I finally felt fresh and at least a little more lively. I walked out into my room to find Myde once again passed out in my chair. I smiled to myself and draped my comforter from my bed over him. After throwing on some clothes, I closed my bedroom door behind me. I walked about the large building aimlessly. The night was deathly silent, almost eerie. I made my way to the lab, took a quick glance around, then entered the office. I was surprised- to say the least- to find Ienzo sitting at the desk, working away.

"Ienzo? What are you doing awake at…" I glanced at the clock above the desk. "3 am?" He gathered the papers into a pile and tapped them on the desk.

"I could ask you the same question." He cocked a slate eyebrow, expecting an answer. But I gave him none. "I'm working on Roxas's case." My eyes shot open a little wider as that ache returned in my chest.

"You're working on his case?" I repeated his words, slightly shocked.

"Yes, that is what I said." He grumbled then looked at me. "Isn't it?" He asked rhetorically.

Before I could add anything further, a yawn emitted from the doorway. I whipped my head around to find Myde stretching his lanky limbs. "Yeah, Ienzo here has been working non-stop to get 'ol Roxy back." I can't figure out why, but hearing Myde call Roxas 'Roxy' sent some sort of anger through me. I unknowingly shot daggers his way. "Woah, woah, okay! That's your thing, I got it…" I was going to question it, but dropped the topic all together.

"So you've been working to get him back?" I questioned the small teen avidly working at the desk. He looked up and his blue eyes met mine.

"Yes." He stated plainly.

"So…" I walked closer to the desk and peered over the papers. "Have you found anything?" He looked back at me and leaned back in his chair, taking another swig of his lukewarm coffee. After wincing in disgust, Ienzo gauged my interest.

"Well, we have everything we need to pull Roxas out." I raised a stout red eye brow and looked at the scientist disbelievingly.

"Then why haven't we?"

"One- we need Sora. Two- we don't know what will happen… to either of them." He leaned forward again and rested his elbows on the hard wooden desk. His fingers rubbed tiredly at his temples as a sigh escaped his lips. "Who knows? Maybe the little key blade wielder won't want to." He shrugged and looked over the scattered papers. I shrugged my own shoulders and nonchalantly added my own two cents.

"Then we make him. It's not like we haven't used the kid before." I sounded bitter, but I needed this Roxas kid. Everyone kept telling me about how close we were. I guess that's why I'm feeling so shitty. Maybe getting him back will solve it?

"Not with Ansem the Wise helping us." Ienzo aimlessly gestured his hand around. "He won't let anything happen to Sora." I nodded my head, he was right…

"But I'm sure Sora will help! He's all for helping people, right?" Myde looked around the room for support, but I merely scoffed.

"Yeah, but not us." I folded my arms against my chest and leaned back against the desk. "Don't you remember the hell we put him through? If I were him, I'd just tell us to fuck off." Myde slumped over in defeat and Ienzo sighed again. We were in one hell of a rut.

The room fell silent. I think everyone was trying to come up with a solution. I mean, I highly doubt the kid will want to help _us._ And we can't lay a finger on him with Ansem the Wise-ass around. So… now what?

"He might not want to help _us_…" Ienzo began as he tapped his chin with his pen rhythmically. "…But he might help Namine." His devious blue eyes met mine as the tapping of his pen ceased.

"Oh yeah! I'm sure Sora would help Namine!" Myde burst out and a wide grin spread across his face.

"You really think that'll work?" I asked suspiciously.

"I believe so." Ienzo peered up at me, seriousness engulfing his expression and tone.

I nodded in compliance and walked out of the office. I could hear Myde's quick steps following right behind me. "Lea? Where are you going?!" I stopped, causing my mohawked friend to slam into my back. "Ah! Sorry I-"

"I'm going to Destiny Islands." I said, almost smiling as I opened a dark portal.

"Huh?! What are you going there for?"

"We need Namine, don't we?" I didn't bother turning my head completely around as I stood before the corridor.

"Well, yeah but-"

"So, Namine is in Kairi." He 'oh'ed in realization and I took a step into the ominous dark cloud. "You coming?" I asked as I faced Myde, my body slowly being consumed by the darkness. He simply smiled, nodded once, and stepped into the darkness.

-x-X-x-

"Again?" The wine-haired girl sighed and cocked her head to the side.

"Yes, again." I grabbed her wrist gently, but her body tensed nonetheless. "Right, sorry." I released her thing wrist. "Please?" I tried sincerely, almost desperately.

"Okay…" She meekly complied and followed me and the strangely silent Myde into the corridor of darkness.

The bright, beautiful tropics faded to black, and the three of us were on our way back to Hollow Bastion.

-x-X-x-

"Axel?" I heard a familiar voice call for me in the dark.

"Hello?" I called back but heard nothing. I was completely alone in the darkness. Where did Myde and Kairi go? Why am I still in the dark?

"Axel!" The voice shrieked. They sounded pained, they were crying.

"Hello? Who are you? Why are you crying?" The voice stayed silent for a while.

"Axel…" This was getting old.

"Please just let me see you. You sound so familiar." I frantically looked around, but saw only black.

"I know you haven't forgotten me, Axel."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"I'll give you a hint… It starts with an 'R'."

I felt something soft brush my lips. A kiss? Something about that tiny little gesture made my heart flutter. It felt so familiar. I know those lips, I know that voice… Why can't I remember who you are?

-x-X-x-

"LEA!" I heard Myde's voice screaming my name. Where was I? What's going on? I couldn't speak, I could only grumble as a response.

"Oh thank god! You're awake…" I cracked my eyes open to find Myde hovering over me, holding my shoulders.

"M-Myde…?" My voice was so weak.

"Yeah, buddy. It's me. What the hell just happened?" I opened my eyes a little more and looked around the room. I was in the lab. When did I get here?

"An 'R'…." I whispered subconsciously as I took in my surroundings.

"An 'R'? Lea, what the hell are you talking about?" He looked terrified.

"His name. It starts with an 'R'." That's when Myde's jaw hit the floor. He quickly gathered himself from the shock and the widest possible smile stretched across his face. Before I knew it, lanky arms were holding me tight and Myde was yelling in my ear.

"You remembered! Well, not completely… But you remembered something! I knew you couldn't forget him!" Myde clung to me like a baby koala.

"Okay, okay, Myde. You can let go." I chuckled at his demeanor, but he refused to release me. His grip on me tightened and he squeed like a little girl. "Agh! Myde! My ears!" I wriggled under him and broke into laughter as he continued his little fan girl act.

Finally I was released and he shifted to sit beside me, looking down with that goofy grin. "Sorry, Lea." He chuckled in delight. "I'm just so happy!." I shook my head and lifted my body into a sitting position.

"You're an idiot…" I chuckled and smiled at my friend. He gave me a wide, toothy smile in response. This guy…

"Oh! So we got everything figured out while you were out." His attention turned to the group behind him that went unnoticed by me until now. "We just gotta head over to Yen Sid's. Once we get there- bing, bam, boom, Roxas is back." I smiled a goofy grin. Not only because our plan was initiating, but also because of that name.

"Roxas…" I breathed his name through a smile. That was his name…

Myde chuckled at my appearance. I probably looked like a love-sick idiot. But I don't give a shit. I may not remember anything about Roxas, but I knew he was the answer to all of this. Once he was back, maybe this gaping hole in my heart will be filled. Maybe I won't be so confused. Maybe he'll fix it all.

I was finally getting my life back.


	13. When One Door Opens

_**Author's**__**Note:**_ **Bad news everyone. I hoped that once summer came around, I'd be writing more. Only I forgot that the school would be taking their laptop back... So as of right now, I don't have a laptop of my own to write with. Chapters will still be coming out, but will be coming out a lot slower than I had hoped. No more hiatuses are being lifted or placed as of right now. **

**ANYWAY! Thank you for all the good reviews, favorites, follows, and all that good jazz! I'd really like to keep hearing from you guys! Let me know what you think of my take on the story! Am I the only one who wants this to be part of KH3?**

**-Demikkusu/Otakuscum 3**

**Chapter 13**

"When One Door Opens"

"Hey, Axel?" I looked over to the blond boy at my left. We were at the usual spot- high on the clock tower. Each of us had a sea salt ice cream- also the usual.

"What's up, Rox?" I took another bite of my blue ice cream and looked him over.

"We're best friends right?"

"What are you talkin' about? Of course we are! Why?"

"Well… what exactly does that mean?" His fingers fiddled with the wooden stick as his eyes remained fixated on the ice cream.

"Well, it means that we both mean a lot to each other." My heart sped up a little and my cheeks threatened to blush.

"What do best friends do?"

"Hmm… well, they do stuff like eat ice cream together after every mission." I elbowed his shoulder playfully and licked the drippings from my ice cream. "Best friends can tell each other anything. I think having a best friend is one of the best things you can have."

"I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you?" He grinned and raised his eyebrows. I could feel my cheeks warm slightly, something only Roxas could do to me.

"I didn't say _that_… But I guess you're right." I smirked and snatched a bite out of his ice cream.

"Ah! Axel!" I chuckled and licked my lips tauntingly. Roxas pounced and licked the length of my own ice cream. Unfazed, and secretly pleased, I mimicked the lick over the same spot he had just slobbered on.

"Mmm…" I licked my lips again as Roxas's face contorted in disgust.

"Ew!" He chuckled and took another bite out of his ice cream.

"Hey, Roxie?" I could tell he held back a groan at the nickname.

"Yeah?"

"If you had a heart…" I stopped and looked over Twilight Town. "Nah, never mind."

"Aw, come on Axel! Best friends can tell each other anything! Remember?"

"How dare you use my own words against me!" I chuckled and nudged his arm jokingly.

"Seriously, Ax… You can tell me anything." I sighed in defeat and fell silent to gather my words.

"If you had a heart…" I swallowed the lump in my throat and ignored the butterflies swarming my stomach. "Do you think you could love me?"

-x-X-x-

"Should we knock?" Myde asked as the rest of the group lingered behind.

"Nah." I answered plainly and opened the door.

When I stepped into the tower, I was greeted by no one, just silence. I strode over to the staircase and began the ascent. Myde, Ienzo, Kairi, and Ansem the Wise-ass followed shortly behind. When we reached the wooden door that stood between us and our solution, Myde pulled my hand back from the handle.

"Myde? What the hell?"

"I just… I just want you to be prepared for the worst. Ya know, don't go in with high expectations and all…"

"I know, thanks buddy." I patted him on the back and pulled the handle.

**-x-X-x-**

When I opened that door, the silver-haired emo kid was hovering over the key blade wielder who was apparently still unconscious. "Ha, why don't you give him a kiss and wake up sleeping beauty?" I heard Myde chirp from beside me and chuckle awkwardly. For a second, I actually thought he was going to. That was, until Riku's eyes fell on Kairi. There's definitely more than just a friendship here…

"What are _you_ doing here?" The silver haired boy's words were laced with venom as spiteful blue eyes looked me over..

"Just a little… rescue mission." Myde crossed his arms and smirked arrogantly.

"You're here to save Sora?" He seemed genuinely confused.

"Not exactly." I stepped forward and peered down at the shorter teen.

"Then why the hell are you here?" He snapped and balled his fists in aggravation.

"Riku…" Kairi cooed from behind our group and immediately calmed the furious silverette. "We're going to separate Roxas from Sora." Her voice was timid, evidently knowing just how Riku would react.

"What?! Do you even know what could happen to Sora? What if his chain of memories get destroyed? What if he forgets about everyone? What if he forgets about me…" I looked on at the scene before me. Was this how Roxas and I were? Did we once care about each other like these two? Was our love for each other as blatantly obvious as them? Did we have an unbreakable bond like that?

"Riku, I know the risks seem high…" Ienzo's solemn voice spoke up as the small slate-haired teen emerged from our posse of people. "..but you have to realize that Sora would be more than willing to help. Sora believes that Roxas is his own person despite what everyone told him. He wants to help Roxas. We've tested the process out on Lea. Namine successfully deconstructed his chain of memories then pieced the links back together. Don't believe our success? Test him." I swallowed hard and felt the beads of sweat forming near my hairline. What if he asks about Roxas?

"Fine. Lea…" I tried my best to keep my cool. "…In Castle Oblivion, who did you have me eliminate?"

"That's a trick question. I didn't have you eliminate anyone. I had your replica eliminate Zexion." Riku smirked and nodded his head.

"So it's true."

"Yeah, it's true. So you in?" The silver haired teen unfolded his arms and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Where do we start?"

-x-X-x-

"Namine? Is that really you?" Riku looked Kairi's body over in awe.

"Yes, Riku, it's me." Her fingers tented just as the blond girl used to do.

"Hey, how come you never tried talking to Roxas like this?" He looked over to me with one eyebrow raised as he searched my eyes inquisitively.

"I have a shot of getting the real Roxas back. I don't want to have to go through Sora here every time I wanna talk to him, ya know? I just want my best friend back, you can understand that right?" Riku's piercing aqua eyes shifted to the brunette on the floor. A gentle smile tugged at the corners at his mouth as a deafening silence filled the room.

"Yeah, I get it." I turned my attention back to Namine and went over the plan again.

"Okay, so once we get the kid awake, we tell him the deal and he goes back to sleep?"

"Yes. Then I will remove Sora's memories from Roxas and place them back into Sora's chain of memories. Roxas should retain all of his own memories." She chewed at her lip anxiously and looked to her feet. "There's always the possibility thought that-" But I cut her off.

"No. You can't think like that. Everything will be fine. You can do this, I know you can." I smiled warmly and patted her on her shoulder.

"So how are we gonna wake this kid up?" Myde called from where Sora laid on the floor and nudged the boy with his foot.

"His heart has fallen into a deep slumber. If he fails to wake, it may be consumed by the darkness." Master Yen Sid informed us as he subconsciously petted his long gray beard.

"I'll go get him." Riku confidently offered his assistance and summoned his keyblade. With his key in hand, the teen walked over to the sleeping boy and knelt beside him. "Don't worry, Sora." His free hand brushed the boy's brunette bangs from his face and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Yep, _definitely_ not 'just friends.' The teen quickly rose to his feet and lifted his keyblade, soon falling into slumber much like his friend. And with that, Riku was gone.

-x-X-x-

**Riku POV**

"Sora! Sora!" I called for my best friend, but was disappointed to receive no reply. Where the hell could he be?

"Did you say Sora?" I turned around to find an orange-haired kid leaning against a light post.

"Yeah. Do you know him?" My eagerness must have been blatantly obvious, but I didn't have time for shame.

"I do." This kid seems like a prick…

"Can you tell me where he is?" Okay, maybe that was a little too sassy… But my patience was wearing thin.

"Who are you anyway?" The orange-haired brat shoved his hands in his pockets and strutted directly toward me.

"I'm his best friend, Riku."

"I'm Nekku. Nice to meet you, Riku."

"Yeah, likewise. So can you tell me where he is?"

"Yeah, follow me." Without waiting for a response the kid turned on his heels and began walking away from me. I quickly caught up to him and matched his pace.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, Nekku stopped and motioned his head toward a flight of stairs.

"He's up there chasing after someone in a black coat. Good luck." After nodding once, Nekku once again turned on his heels and walked in the other direction. Guess he's not a fan of long goodbyes. I shifted my gaze back to the stairs and made my way toward them.

"Sora!" I called out again and heard a gasp.

"Riku?! Riku, is that you?!" I chuckled at his excitement and called back.

"Yeah, it's me! Where are you?" I heard the unmistakable thump of his big shoes nearing me. But before he could answer me, small arms wrapped suffocatingly tight around my waist from behind.

"Riku! It's you! Oh thank god! I've been running all around this place chasing Roxas!" My jaw dropped a little and I looked down to meet Sora's beautiful blue eyes.

"Wait, you saw Roxas?" He smiled and nodded to me.

"Mmhm! I talked to him too." That big goofy smile of his graced his lips, making my heart melt and my own lips to curl into a smile. As I looked up from Sora's captivating eyes, I noticed a cloaked figure watching us from an alleyway. I released Sora and walked toward the person.

"Roxas…?" I asked carefully and calmly walked toward them. The person remained silent, but never moved. Even as I stood right in front of them, they never did anything but look back at me. I cautiously peeled back their hood to reveal their identity. Sure enough, a blond head of hair emerged.

"Roxas, it's you…" I gawked at Sora's nobody and struggled for the right words. "Look, I know you aren't my biggest fan… But I want you to know that you'll be free from Sora soon." Roxas's strikingly familiar blue eyes stared back at me.

"Don't let Axel get his hopes up, okay?" A sad smile spread across his face. As he pulled his hood up, a tear rolled down his cheek. Before I could add anything else, the blond pushed past me and walked toward Sora. As he neared him, he placed his gloved hand on his shoulder.

"You make a good other." I could just barely hear the words. Without waiting for Sora to say a word, Roxas continued past his other half.

"Wait! Roxas!" Sora tried to chase after him, but I grabbed his wrist.

"Let him go. You'll see him again." Confused and sad eyes looked back at me.

"What do you mean?" I chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

"Don't worry about it." As we parted, I instinctively ruffled his hair and smiled at his red cheeks. "Come on, we gotta wake up." As the two of us summoned our keyblades, we both lifted them to the sky.

-x-X-x-

**Lea POV**

"Look! They're waking up!" Myde bounced with excitement like a child on Christmas morning. I looked over to the two on the floor to find their eyes cracking open.

"Welcome back sleeping beauties!" I called to the two on the floor from the corner of the room. Riku was the first to sit up, Sora right behind him. The brunette kid yawned and scrambled to his feet.

"Hey kid, you remember Roxas, right?" Myde quickly questioned the sleepy kid.

"Hm? Yeah, I know Roxas." The brunette rubbed his tired eyes and confusedly looked at Myde.

"Good! So you think he deserves to be his own person and all that, right?"

"Of course I do. Roxas isn't me, he is himself. Why?"

"Awesome! So you'd be willing to help us get him back?"

"Yeah, of course! What do you need me to do?"

"All you need to do is sleep. I will handle the rest." Namine joined the conversation, earning a strange look from Sora.

"Kairi…? How are you going to help?" The girl giggled and pressed her fingertips together.

"It's me, Sora. Namine." Sora's eyes shot open wide in disbelief.

"N-Namine? But how- how did you- I mean- what?" The girl giggled daintily and caught Sora up on the situation.

"Sora, we need you to help us separate Roxas from you." Her tone suddenly became serious. "All you need to do is fall into a deep sleep like after you visited Castle Oblivion." Sora tried to question Namine, but she hushed him and continued. "After you're asleep, I will remove your memories that Roxas holds and place them back into your own chain of memories. Once that is done, we will be able to separate Roxas from you and still be able to have two complete beings." Sora's jaw had fallen a bit slack at the news. "I know it may be risky, but you have to understand that-"

"I'll do it." The brunette cut in with an equally serious tone. "I know it's risky. But it's also selfish to keep him captive in my heart like this. It's not fair. Roxas deserves a life just as much as I do." I think everyone smiled then. This kid is too much. Even after everything we've all done to him, he still wants to help. How can one person be so kind?

"Thank you, Sora. I mean it, you have no idea how much this means to me." I started choking up through my thanks. Man, I'm acting too emotional.

"Don't worry about it, Axe- I mean Lea!" He flashed that big toothy grin of his at me, my own smile unable to be hidden. "So, shall we?" Sora looked around and asked.

"We shall." I answered simply as Namine lead him to the laboratory of the tower.

-x-X-x-

"So all I've gotta do is sleep?" The keyblade wielder asked as he stepped into the large white pod identical to the one I had been in.

"Yes. After that, it will be up to me." Namine answered from outside the pod.

"Alright!" A wide smile spread across the kid's face as he waved to Riku. The toothy grin faded to a loving, toothless smile as their eyes remained locked on one another. They stayed like that until the large doors lifted and completely surrounded Sora. The moment right before they shut, the kid fell into a deep slumber.

"This will probably take sometime." The girl took a seat in front of the pod and began her drawings.

"Well how long do you think it will take?" I asked impatiently. I was so fucking close.

"Days, weeks, maybe even months… This is a delicate process that I've never done before." The girl kept her focus on the sketchpad in her lap as she spoke distractedly. I breathed in deep and let out a frustrated sigh. These would be the longest days, weeks, or months of my life….

**~Please don't forget to leave a review!~**


	14. Secret Admirer

**Chapter 14**

"Secret Admirer"

**Author's Note: Heyo! It's a flashback chapter! Oh the irony of this situation that I've put them in…**

**(Just to clarify- these are **_**not **_**Lea/Axel's memories! They are merely recap, filler, and some feels. I guess you could consider it a dream. -OtakuScum/Demikkusu)**

"Maybe today I'll finally get to go to the beach!" The blond exclaimed as his foot steps quickened to a run. A smile spread across his face like wildfire. My body slouched against a nearby brick wall of a vacant alleyway. I watched the blond race to his artificial friends, keeping myself from his view. He'd forgotten about me. I thought Nobodies couldn't feel emotions… If so, why does it hurt so much knowing I'm nothing more than a stranger to him?

As the boy disappeared behind a corner, I peeled my back from the wall and rose to a standing position. I breathed a heavy sigh and instinctively clenched the fabric of my jacket where my heart would be. Why does this hurt so much? What is this that I'm feeling? Anger? Sorrow? Regret? Love? I don't know. Nobodies aren't supposed to be able to feel. But Roxas, he made me feel like maybe… Maybe we all had something beating in our chest. Because I could have sworn I felt a pounding every time his cerulean eyes met mine.

I heard footsteps nearing me as I aimlessly wandered the streets of Twilight Town. As I reached Sunset Station, I stopped and stood before the familiar sight. My hand raised to shield my eyes from the harsh rays of the setting sun. Everyday, he walks by this place… And not once does he remember its significance. No memories of me ever come to mind. He never thinks of all those sunsets we watched together, all the ice cream we ate, or all of the feelings we shared. Because he can't remember.

"Hello?" I heard an angel's voice call, reverberating off the walls of the nearby tunnels. I was torn. He's here, he's _right _here… Should I let him see me? Would it spark a memory? I froze, unknowing of what to do. As the footsteps came closer, my breaths quickened with anticipation. I frantically opened a portal and rushed into the darkness.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" His voice sounded so foreign from the top of the clocktower. I looked down at Roxas from our infamous spot. Taking a seat, I watched the boy look around in confusion. I sighed and looked to the empty seat beside me. I could practically imagine that adorable little blond sat down next to me, an ice cream in each of our hands. I sighed again and peered back down at the familiar boy. He looked around for any sign of another person, then continued on his way. Why had I run? Why can't I bring myself to face him? I leaned the rest of the way back until I was staring up at the sun-stained sky. My imagination took over and tortured me with the memories of our days spent together.

-x-X-x-

"So, your mind's made up?" My voice was broken with hurt. The sky had darkened to a dreary gray as the sky cried the tears I couldn't.

"No one would miss me..." His face only turned slightly, his eyes not quite meeting my gaze. A drop rolled down his cheek. Whether or not it was a raindrop or a tear… I couldn't tell you.

"That's not true, Roxas!" I was yelling, my comfy position against the wall abandoned as I endured the harsh beating of rain. I ran toward the lost boy. I reached and grabbed his cold hand, wrapping my own warm one securely around it. "I would…" I spoke with honesty, not a single doubt in my voice. He halted, not daring to move a muscle. After what felt like an eternity, his smaller body turned to face me. His head, however, remained tipped toward the cold, hard pavement. His once lively blond spikes had fallen flat with the force of the rain. He looked pitiful, like a stray puppy. Without lifting his gaze, he shook his head.

"No…" I reached for his other hand and held it as if it were made of glass.

"Roxas, please…" I inhaled deeply, trying to suppress the odd feeling in my throat. Exhaling a shaky breath, I gripped his hands tighter, desperately trying to control this foreign feeling. "Rox, look at me." After refusing, I separated our hands and cupped his face with my newly freed hands. "Please don't go…" I was pleading, begging him not to leave me. If he left, I would have nothing. "Roxas, you are my everything. Without you, I have nothing." I tried again to swallow the feeling bubbling in my throat. Every second I looked at the miserable blond, the feeling only got worse. "Roxas, I love you." His eyes finally met mine. But they didn't hold that spark they always had. They were glazed over, looking at me, but not at the same time. My thumb stroked the cooled skin of his cheek, wiping away what I assumed to be raindrops.

"No you don't." His voice was cold, nothing like himself. "A Nobody can't feel. You need a heart to love someone." The clouded eyes shifted away from mine again, looking instead to the ground below us.

"Roxas!" I yelped through the feeling in my throat, trying with all my might not to let whatever it was free. "You were the one that always believed all we Nobodies had at least something in there!" My hands slipped back down to twine with his. "You were the one that kept telling me that our feelings were genuine." That's when the dam broke. I choked on the feeling that erupted from my throat as the tears relentlessly fell. "I love you, Roxas." My breaths became shaky as my sobs shook my chest. Pulling his hands toward me, his body followed and our lips crashed together. I released his hands and dug my fingertips into his wet hair, desperately deepening the kiss. Surprisingly, he responded with the same amount of passion. His small hands reached up to cradle my face as his own body began to tremble from his sobs. As I pulled away, we stared at each other for a moment before I finished what I had to say. "You make me feel like I have a heart."

Somehow, I managed to coax him into coming inside. We went to my room, as I was too afraid of him sneaking away. I gave him some of my clothes so he could get out of his wet cloak. He thanked me and slipped into the oversized pajamas, returning to my bed looking utterly adorable. I smiled at his appearance and blatantly studied him. Luckily, he was too distracted by a loose piece of thread to notice my stare.

He was simply perfect. He wasn't overly muscular, but not chubby or skinny either. His blond hair had dried into the infamous swoop he always sported. A healthy pink dusted his cheeks, his eyes still slightly red from crying. Don't even get me started on those eyes. And the way my sleeves hang off him by a few inches- adorable. Or the way the drawstring doesn't quite tighten enough to keep my pants from slipping down and showing off his lovely hips- dear god… He always seems to be wearing this little pout, and I can't help but think it's the cutest thing. He's just so perfect. How can someone possibly be so flawless?

Lost in my thoughts, I subconsciously lifted a finger to brush stray spikes from his eyes. His eyes met mine as I was already staring. "Axel?" His voice was weak, causing a stinging in my chest.

"Please don't leave…" I was too broken at this point to beat around the bush.

"Okay." His body laid down, mine instinctively following. He curled up next to me as I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled him close. This was it. This was all I ever needed. The void has been filled. All I ever needed was this little blond curled up in my arms.

My eyes cracked open, temporarily blinded by the harsh sunlight. I hummed in contentment as I reached for the boy beside me. Only, my arm met the mattress rather than his body. I immediately sat up and whipped my head around to the vacant space. There was no blond beside me. The only thing I found was an envelope. Reaching inside, my fingers found an item inside. Pulling the object from the envelope, I lifted it before my eyes to inspect it. An ice cream stick… with "WINNER" engraved at the bottom….

Roxas was gone.

-x-X-x-

"Hey! That's mine!" I heard his voice yell, bringing my depressing reminiscing to a halt. I shot up into a sitting position and looked down at the scene below me. Roxas was on his back, a cloaked figure hovering above him. An Organization member? The figure tossed a pouch up and caught it with ease. They stole Roxas's Munny? My teeth ground in rage. How dare they hurt him...

I veiled my face with my hood and stepped into the darkness. As I emerged from the portal, I nonchalantly walked up to the other hooded figure. Grabbing their shoulder, I whipped them around to face me, snatching up the Munny pouch during his state of shock. Holding the pouch in one hand, I summoned a single chakram with the other. Lifting and aiming it at the thief, I silently challenged him to try anything. Clearly not looking for a fight, they opened a portal of their own, retreating into the darkness.

"Alright Roxas! Fight, fight, fight!" I chuckled as the smaller boy stood defensively holding a stick.

"Who are you?" He sounded afraid.

"It's me! Axel!" I said excitedly as I peeled back my hood. He gawked at me in confusion.

"Axel?" I sighed and swung the pouch around my finger by the drawstring.

"Talk about blank with a capital B..." I walked closer to him and bent down to his level. "You really don't remember me?" I knew he wouldn't, but I was still... Sad.

"No, sorry... Maybe you thought I was someone else?" Man, this kid is dense. I called him by his name, didn't I?

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, kid." I said, sadness lacing my tone. "Hey, since I saved you and all, how about we go get an ice cream?" His eyebrows lifted slightly before a little smile graced his lips.

"Your treat?" Did he really just agree to that...?

"Sure Roxy, my treat..." I smiled fondly at the boy. All of a sudden, he looked like he saw a ghost.

"What did you just call me...?" He looked terrified. "How- how do you know me?" His eyes shot open wide as he took a step back. "Are you the person who's been stalking me?!" He backed up until I feared he would run away. Too afraid to lose him again, I took a few steps toward him, only to have him take a few more back. "Get away from me!" He yelled at Hayner, Pence, and Olette opened the door to check on their friend. I sighed, so it's come to this... I reached into my pocket and pushed a button of the remote I stole from DIZ's computer lab. Time stopped, only Roxas and I able to remain conscious.

"Roxas, I need you to hear me out. I'm not your stalker, I'm trying to help you. Please come back with me so I won't have to go through with plan B..." I offered him my hand. He looked it over carefully then took another step back.

"What do you mean? What's going on? Why is everyone frozen? Who are you?" His questions just kept coming. Please let him come to his senses...

"Roxas, please. There isn't much time. I promise I'll explain everything when we get back home. But right now, I need you to come with me." I took a few steps forward without him retreating. "Please, best friend?" His eyebrows quirked in confusion as his hand slowly reached for mine.

"Roxas! This man speaks nonsense!" I heard that bastard holler from behind me. I turned to see DIZ standing stiff as a board, hands tucked behind his back. Damn him...

"Roxas, don't let him deceive you..." I turned back to the blond whose eyes had grown wide with worry. "Roxas, I'm your best friend... Please." He took a step back and balled his fists. Suddenly, a flash of light sparked from his right hand, materializing a familiar weapon. "Number thirteen, Roxas. The keyblade's chosen one..." He inspected the weapon then looked back to me.

"Number thirteen...?" He studied my eyes for any hint of deception.

"Roxas! He is lying to you. Don't believe this man!" DIZ shouted again, approaching us.

"Rox, please..." I outstretched my hand again, pleading for him to take it. His confused blue eyes darted between DIZ and I. Taking a small step back, Roxas lifted his keyblade. "Roxas..." I begged. Please don't let this be his decision...

"Get away from me..." He paused and glared at DIZ and I. "...both of you." I worried my lip and took another step toward him.

"Roxas, please don't do this..." Something in my chest clenched painfully tight.

"Now." His voice was stern, promising a fight. My head dropped in defeat.

"I'm not giving up on you..." I mumbled at retreated into the darkness, DIZ following suit. I emerged atop the clock tower, continuing my observation of my former best friend. "I refuse to give up on you, Roxas." I whispered under my breath to no one but myself.

-x-X-x-

The next few days consisted of a lot of watching my favorite blond and a few desperate attempts to get him to come with me.

"Hey, Roxas!" I yelled and ran up behind the blond. He helped in surprise and stood defensively. "Relax! I just brought you an ice cream. It's sea salt, our favorite..." I handed him the blue bar and took one out for myself. He cautiously took the ice cream from my hand.

"Thanks." I looked down at him as a smile split my face.

"So you wanna eat at our usual spot? I mean, we'd have to go the long way since you don't have a coat and all but-" That's when Roxas cut in.

"How do you know me?" His expression was serious, slightly confused.

"We were best friends once." My lips curled into a sad smile at the memories he had forgotten.

"Then why can't I remember you?" I heaved a sigh and shifted the weight on my feet.

"It's a long story... I can tell it to you at our spot if you want." I cocked my head and smiled fondly at the blond.

"Where's that?" I looked over to where the tall tower stood proudly above the town, then back to Roxas.

"The top of the clocktower." I grinned as he looked at the clock tower then back at me.

"Okay."

After a long, silent walk, we made it to our old spot. He took a seat where he always had. For a second, it was almost as if he had never lost his memory at all. I smiled down at the boy as he looked over the quiet town. I took the seat beside him like always as we both munched on our ice creams.

"So, do you always go with strangers that easily?" I teased through a grin as he glanced over to me.

"No. I just..." He looked back over Twilight Town and sighed. "This all just feels so familiar..." He looked back to me and looked me over. "I felt like I really did know you." I held his gaze as an uncontainable smile pulled at my lips.

"So I did spark a little memory?" I grinned as a lopsided smile crept across his face.

"I guess you could say that." He paused as his bare ice cream stick dangled from his mouth. "So how come I don't remember you?" I swallowed the lump in my throat at the question. Should I tell him? Would he even believe me?

"It sounds pretty far-fetched..." I offered, but he wanted to know more.

"If it's the truth, then I want to know."

"This life that you have here in Twilight Town..." I paused and considered stopping. "...it's all a lie." The wooden stick fell from his mouth as he gawked at me.

"What?"

"This isn't your life, Roxas. Your life is with the Organization. Hayner, Pence, Olette... They aren't your real friends. They aren't even real. You've been living this lie for only five days. You haven't lived here your entire life. Technically, you're only about a year old anyway..." I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly. Roxas stared back at me wide eyed, his mouth agape. He gawked at me for a long while, probably trying to process everything I had told him.

"That man was right..." He shook his head and rose to his feet. "You are a liar."

"Wait! Roxas!" I clambered to my feet and reached for his hand, only to have it jerked away.

"Don't touch me! Just leave me alone. Stop following me and trying to get me to come with you!" I stood frozen as something in my chest constricted. If I had a heart, it would be in a million pieces. Unable to move, I simply watched the love of my life walk away...Again.

-x-X-x-

"Let's meet again, in the next life."

"Yeah, I'll be waiting."

"Silly, just because you have a next life..."

Those were our parting words to each other. We promised we'd see each other again. I emerged from the darkness as fell onto my bed. That was the last time I would ever see Roxas again, wasn't it?

-x-X-x-

"Lea! Wake up!" I grumbled and cracked my eyes open to find Myde up in my face.

"What?" I snarled as I sat up.

"Man, you've been out like a light for like the past 17 hours! Hey, you're crying... Did you have a bad dream or something?" He leaned down to my level, wiping away the tear.

"Huh? I was? Oh... I don't remember. I can't recall a single thing from my dream."

I shrugged and looked at the calendar. It's been almost two years since Sora fell asleep. Everyday, I go in and check on Namine's progress. Usually all I get is, "Same as yesterday, Lea. This takes time." I looked in the mirror and sighed. After throwing on a pair of fresh jeans and my black hoodie, I walked down the hall to the tower's laboratory. Yen Sid offered me a room here until this process was complete. It's funny, I guess everyone except me knows how much I must need this kid. I really want to remember, I do. But even though I can't recall any of our memories, there's something in my heart that remembers him. He's managed to etch himself into my soul. This phantom pain still lingers, and I have no idea how to fix it. I guess the only cure I have to wish for is bringing him back. Maybe then I won't feel like this…. this emptiness.

"Hey, Nam…" Kairi's body turned around to look at me. She smiled kindly and welcomed me into the lab, just like every morning for the past 22 months.

"Hello, Lea. How are you today?" God she's sweeter than fucking sugar.

"Same old same old I guess, ha." I cocked a sad smile and looked toward the familiar pod. "So, any news?" Please have something, anything…

"Actually… Something's happened. There are a few of Sora's memories that I can't seem to remove from Roxas's chain of memories. If I can't return them to Sora…" She sighed as her eyes glassed over with tears. "Neither of them will be returning…" No, not that. Please let this be some horrible nightmare…

"So… what you're saying is…. Roxas might really be gone?" I exhaled a shaky breath and headed back for the door, not wanting to hear her say 'yes' Just before I could step out the door, the girl piped up.

"Lea!" I reluctantly halted my steps, but kept my body facing away from the lab. "There's still hope, okay? I want them both back too. I'm not just going to give up…" I turned my head just enough to see the girl from the corner of my eye.

"Thank you, Namine." And with that, I was off again. I didn't have a destination in mind. I'll just go wherever my feet decide to carry me. Who knows when I'll end up, or when I'll get back. Is there even any point in coming back? Damn, this is really tearing me up…

Roxas, where are you when I need you?

**Author's Note: Aw, poor angsty Lea... Sorry for not posting a new chapter in so long! I have to borrow my sister's laptop to write now. Until I get my school laptop again, chapters will be coming out ****_a lot_**** slower than I want them to. But anyway, thank you so much for reading this and my other ones too. It's awesome to hear that you guys like the content! **

**Please don't forget to leave a review!**

** Much love, **

**Demikkusu/OtakuScum**


	15. Love Scars The Heart

**Chapter 15**

"Love Scars The Heart"

Myde POV

"Lea! Leeeaaaa!" I called as loud as I could. Where could he be? I turned the corner to the small garden of the town. My eyes scanned the rolling green hills and leafy trees. And just as I suspected, firey red spikes flowed over pale white skin. "Lea, man… Hey." His emerald eyes glanced over to me, twice as vibrant from the contrasting red that surrounded them. Was he… crying? "You okay?" AS I took a seat beside him, his head turned to hide his puffy eyes.

"Just dandy. There something you needed?" His words weren't cold, just distant. I sighed and rubbed his shoulder, flashing a warm smile when he shot another glance.

"Ya know, I don't blame you for the way you're acting." He quirked a short eyebrow and huffed. "I mean, you and Roxas… That was a bond like nothin' I've ever seen. It was like you were made to be together or something sappy like that. Ya know? I mean, I know you can't really remember… but I know you haven't forgotten." I smiled as he stared at me. His mouth hung open a little as he listened. Quickly, he looked back to the green grass and ripped a few blades from the ground.

"So is that all you wanted?" Throwing the handful of grass back to the dirt, he plucked a few more as he avoided my eyes.

"You know it's true. There's something about just his name that makes your heart twinge. And you're hurt because you don't know what to do. Right?" Fierce eyes met mine. That look was unlike any emotion I'd ever seen in those green eyes. No, I'd seen this look once before. It was the same look he had when Saix told him to eliminate Roxas. How could I forget that? He threatened to burn down the entire castle. I had never seen him like that; screaming, lashing out, crying… He had gone mad, like a feral animal.

"No. I'm fine." His words ground out through clenched teeth. He definitely wasn't 'fine'.

"Oh really?" So that's how he wanted to play? "ROXAS! ROXAS, ROXAS, ROXAS!" I chanted his name over and over. Lea's face contorted into a look of pure pain. sucking his quivering lips into his mouth, he tried to appear unphased. Oh please, you're like an open book… "Lea… Seriously, quit the tough guy act. No one expects you to be unaffected. We all know this is probably killing you. So you don't have to hide all this, okay? If you're hurting, just tell me. Alright?" His eyes softened as they glassed over with tears. He may seem tough, maybe a little scary sometimes, but he's a teddy bear; a real softy. His lanky arms pulled me into a rib-crushing hug as he let it all out. He was _bawling_. He really needs Roxas…

-x-X-x-

"Hey Nam!" I ran over to the red headed girl and peered over her work. "So what's Roxas's ETA?" I shuffled through the drawings, stumbling upon a familiar sight. Sketched onto the white paper were two cloaked figures, one with wild red hair and one with messy blond hair. In each hand was a blue ice cream. I smiled at the fond memory. God, they're so cute together…

"Well, actually there was a bit of a problem…" Her hand stopped coloring the brunette hair that belonged to the sleeping keyblade wielder. I cocked an eyebrow, silently asking her to continue. "You see, there were some of Sora's memories that I couldn't remove from Roxas's chain of memories..." She resumed her coloring and fixed her eyes back on the memory of Sora eliminating my Nobody. Ouch. My hair is not that messy! "And if I can't return those memories back to Sora, neither of them can awaken." She set the completed drawing aside and reached for a blank piece of paper.

"But… you'll be able to fix that, right?" The girl worried her lip and continued drawing another one of Sora's memories. This time he was alone, with two adorable creatures following him through…. Traverse Town?

"I don't know…" She looked up, her eyes full of worry. She looked on the verge of tears. Could that really happen? Neither of them waking up…? No, gotta stay positive! They'll both come back safe and sound so we can all live happily ever after. A broad smile crept across my face.

"You'll figure it out. Then Sora and Roxas can wake up, and all will be right with the world." I chuckled, receiving a small giggle and a nod from the girl. As I turned my back to leave, a small voice caught my attention.

"Myde…" I stopped in my tracks and turned my head to give my attention to the girl. "Is Lea mad at me…?" Her head hung in despair, her wine-stained locks shielding her teary eyes. Shifting my body to face her once again, I took careful steps toward the girl.

"No, Lea isn't mad at you." Squatting down to her level, I brushed the loose strands of hair that veiled her face. "If anything, he's mad at himself." As her blue eyes met mine, I relaxed and took a seat in front of her. "You should have seen those two. They were so crazy about each other." I chuckled at the memory. "But they'd never admit it. It's not like they even needed to say it though, when you love someone that deeply, you can see it in their eyes. Ya know? What is it that people call that? Skinny love?" Subconsciously, I looked off into the distance, replaying those happy memories in my head. "Whenever they were together, it was like you could feel that spark between them. It was practically impossible to miss all those blatantly obvious "secret" glances they each took. Or the way one would light up whenever they would talk about the other. And don't even get me started on when they would get paired up on missions." I laughed and shook my head. "Believe it or not, neither of them knew the other had feelings for them. But to everyone else, it was so obvious. We figured we'd let the two idiots figure it out on their own." The girl giggled and flashed a warm smile.

"You didn't help them out at all?" She managed to speak though her laughs. She tucked a burgundy strand of hair behind her ear and cocked her head ever so slightly.

"Well, at first I did. I would always ask Roxas what he thought about Axel. Axel and me- er Demyx were really close, you see. So he told me everything. I knew all about how he was head over heels for the new kid. So I took it upon myself to figure out if Roxas felt the same. Every time I would ask the kid though, his face would heat up like Saix's temper! Then he'd get all flustered and mumble on about how he and Axel are best friends. It was probably the cutest thing ever!" I busted up laughing, almost falling over backwards from the force of it. "So I knew that Roxas felt the same way. But just for the hell of it, I decided to not tell Axel. Just to see how long it would take before they figured it out on their own." I wiped the tears that had bubbled up in the corners of my eyes.

"So, did they ever figure it out?" She leaned forward a little, clearly interested in my little story of the two gay love birds. That's when the mood took a sudden turn.

"No… Roxas lost all his memories of Axel before he got the chance…" I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly, averting my gaze from the sad blue ones before me.

"Myde…" I looked back up the the girl to find a crooked smile on her face. "I'll bring Roxas back safe and sound… I promise." My jaw had fallen a little slack, and my eyes a little wider than usual. But a smile took over my face in an instant.

"I know." I pulled the girl into a tight embrace. For some reason… I believed her. Something in me knew I was going to see Roxas again.

-x-X-x-

"Why did you bring me, again?" The shorter slate-haired teen grumbled from beside me. I shot a glance down to him as he walked beside me. His hands were shoved into his pockets and his eyes never seemed to meet my own.

"Because I figured since we were friends in the Organization, that you'd still consider me a friend. Or am I mistaken?" I grinned at Ienzo as a light shade of pink dusted his cheeks. _Aw, he's so cute… _

"You… consider me a friend?" His voice was soft and his eyes still refused to look my way. My steps halted as my head cocked to the right in confusion.

"Are you dense? Of course I consider you my friend! Aren't I your friend?" I smiled at his back as he stopped too. His head turned just enough for me to see his one eye that wasn't covered by his hair.

"Yes." I caught up to him in a few easy strides. Taking a step in front of him, I leaned down a little to get closer to his eye level. Still, his eyes looked anywhere but me.

"So then what's the problem?" I grinned and turned my head to get a better view of his face. "You okay Ienzo? You look kinda flushed." I lifted a hand and tucked his bangs behind his ear, only to have my hand slapped away.

"I'm fine!" Who knew he had such a temper? It's kinda hot… "Let's just go do what we came here to do." He sighed and finally looked at me, a silent apology in his eyes. I smiled and took his hand, leading him toward the town.

"Kay! Let's go get some ice cream!" He stiffened a little when I took his hand, but he didn't refuse. Maybe Ienzo doesn't hate me as much as he lets on.

-x-X-x-

"Lea! Lea you'll never guess what ha-" But I cut myself short when I realized I was talking to no one. I looked around his vacant bedroom. Where the hell did he go? I walked down the halls toward the only other place I figured he would go. As I swung open the door to the lab, I was greeted by a mess of crimson spikes. Like I said- an open book. I smiled and walked over to my friend. He fell asleep beside the pod that encapsulated Sora. Beside him, Namine's drawings were scattered around him in a nest of forgotten memories. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a trend. Each and _every_ picture featured a familiar face- Roxas. Even though Lea lost all memory of the kid, he's still drawn to him. It's nothing short of amazing if you ask me. That's true love right there. It's like a fairytale- something you only ever see in movies. To think a love like that exists… I can only hope I can experience that one day.

-x-X-x-

"Lea! Lea wake up!" I heard a young girl screaming for the red head in the room beside me. It had been just a few days since Lea had fallen asleep in his nest of Roxas drawings. And every night, he did the same thing. And every night, I had to bring him back to bed. I heard the door of Lea's room fly open, slamming into my wall with a loud bang. "Lea! You've gotta come here! Lea! Wake up!" The man grumbled sleepily at the intruder. People know not to wake Lea up. This must be important. Curiosity took over and I made my way to the room beside mine. Before I could even step into his room, Lea and Kairi- err Namine were flying out the door. What the?

I chased after them, unable to keep up with Lea's speed. What the hell was going on? The two turned down the hallway and busted into the lab, coming to a screeching halt. That's when my jaw hit the floor. That's when Lea dropped to his knees. And that's when the tears flowed relentlessly.

"Roxas…"

**Author's Note: HAPPY AKUROKU DAY EVERYONE! I pushed this chapter out so I could post it on 8/13. What do you think so far? I know some of the things in this story don't fit the KH logic 100%... but in a way I suppose it does because Nomura bends the shit out of his own rules. Ah, whatever. Either way, I hope you enjoy my version of the Axel/Roxas story! Thanks so much to all of you who read my stories! I never figured people would like all these ideas just floating around in my head. **

**P.S. Be prepared for a Zemyx chapter.**

**Is 'See Ya Buddy' coming to an end? I guess we'll have to find out…**

**Please don't forget to leave a review!**

**-OtaakuScum/Demikkusu **


	16. Through Hell And High Water

**Chapter 16**

"**Through Hell And High Water"**

-x-X-x-

**Author's Note:** Heads up- I tweaked the world with the Mysterious Tower a bit. I made it part of the Twilight Town world to fit better in the story. It didn't really work too well to have a tiny floating piece of land take part in this story. So bear with me… please :)

**-x-X-x-**

Light… all I could see was light. It was strange. Where was I? I didn't feel like I had before. I felt… awake. What's going on?

-x-X-x-

Sora was on the ground. He was confused and dazed- that much I could tell. But… what happened? Why had Sora woken up? More importantly, where was Roxas?

It only took a few confident strides to reach the boy sitting on the floor. "Where is he? What happened? Where is he!" I hadn't realized I was yelling. I've lost all control. My state was purely primal. I never _fully_ realized the extent of my dependence on Roxas. I just want to remember him. I just want _him._

Sora was quivering. I guess I came off threatening. I could worry about the kid's feelings later. I needed to know what happened. The brunette's blubbering voice caught my attention when he sobbed, "I-I don't k-k-know. H-he just l-left. J-just walked a-away…" He absentmindedly motioned toward the lab door and I immediately exited the room through it. I'll be damned if he gets away from me again.

-x-X-x-

This light… it's so bright. I can't see anything but this blinding light. The light is warm, comforting almost. Shielding my eyes from the source, my eyes begin to focus. Somehow, I was mindlessly walking. To where, I couldn't tell you. My feet carried me on their own accord. I felt the gravel crunch under my sneakers. The gravel soon gave way to a softer ground- grass maybe? My eyes adjusted more and more until the world was no longer white, but instead a hazy version of reality. Where was I? What was I doing?

The world cleared until I could begin to make out figures. That soft stuff I was currently walking on? That was grass. As I looked around, I saw more and more green. Trees- they were all around me. Pushing past a wall, I made my way to the small town with the sun-stained sky.

"Twilight Town…?"

-x-X-x-

I don't know when I started running. I don't know if I was crying. But I do know I was screaming. "Roxas! Roxas! Roxas!" I called his name like it was my last chance of survival. And truthfully, I think it was. If I never found him… I know for sure I wouldn't survive. Reality's a bitch, huh? There are just some people in this world that you simply can't live without. Even if you can't remember why.

The second I hauled those doors open, sunlight blinded me. It was such a beautiful day. The sun was shining- not a cloud in the sky. When my eyes finally refocused, I looked around. But no Roxas. "Damn it!" I never stopped. I kept running. I ran through the woods. No Roxas. I scoured the town. No Roxas. I ran down every alley. No Roxas. I even checked that god forsaken mansion. Still no Roxas.

My assured steps quickly turned to paces as I relentlessly tugged at my hair. "Shit! Where is he!" I made my way to the top of the infamous clock tower to get a better view of the town. Maybe I could spot him from up there?

Every step up became torture. Too bad I didn't have my cloak, I could have just used a corridor.. When I finally took that last step, I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned the corner and the everlasting sunset painted the sky just as it always had. It was then that I realized I wasn't alone.

"I never thought I'd see this place again…" That voice. "I guess you really are a man of your word." That face. "Aren't you," It can't be. "Axel?"

"Roxas…" I only made it a few steps before I collapsed in his arms. It was all so familiar… so right. It was like he had never left me, not even once. I could tell he was smiling. He just had one of those smiles that you could _feel._ One of those contagious smiles that lights up even the darkest of places.

"You really _do _remember me? I'm so flattered." That's when it really hit me. I _did_ remember. This was Roxas, the boy I had loved with all my heart since the moment we met. The boy that I went on missions with. The boy who loved those salty blue ice creams. The boy I shared every sunset with… right here. I remembered. It was like I never forgot any of this. It was like these past two years of hell had been nothing more than a nightmare… a terrible, sadistic nightmare. But it was all okay now. Because I had Roxas's arms around me. He was really here.

"Of course I remember. I got it memorized." He pulled back just enough to see my face fully. A wide smile split his face and tears rolled down his cheeks. We were both a couple of bawling sissy boys. But hey, who can blame us? Being star-crossed lovers ain't easy, ya know? And I'm not talking about no Romeo and Juliet shit. This was a whole 'nother level. But what does any of that matter now? We're both here with each other, and that's all I could ever ask for.

"Axel… I understand what love is now." The small blond in my arms looked up and locked eyes with me. Standing on his tippy toes, he craned my neck down and planted a kiss on my lips. "You're a better hands-on teacher," he murmured against my lips. I smirked deviously. Oh come on, you _handed_ that one to me. With a wink and a squeeze of that cute little tush of his, I purred, "You bet your ass I am."

-x-X-x-

**Alright, so that chapter was kinda short! Anyway, I got my laptop back so I'll be posting more frequently again. What did you guys think of the reunion? I really want to know how I'm doing. Please, please, please leave a review! If you want to see more Soriku or Zemyx, comment and I'll see what I can do! **

**Much love,**

**OtakuScum/Demikkusu**


	17. Boys Like Boys

**Chapter 17**

"Boys Like Boys"

_Author's Note: So this is a total fan-service chapter. You're welcome ;)_

**_Sora x Roxas_**

"So… Roxas is okay?" The brunette was still on the floor, his usually bubbly aura diminished. His finger scratched against the floor he sat on, his eyes seemingly locked on it. I bent down to his level, tilting his chin up a little with my finger to look at those blue eyes of his.

"Roxas'll be fine."I smiled at him, trying to ease his nerves. "Because of you." Those blue eyes shot open wide, his head tilting slightly, almost comically.

"Huh? Me? What did I do? Riku sometimes you don't make any sense!" I could see the smile he was holding back. It was a strange look on such a happy, smiley person. It broke my heart a little. I shook my head in amazement. This kid…

"You chose to go into a deep sleep for what? Two years? All to save this kid you hardly knew. Without even knowing if you'd wake up. You always put other people before yourself. And you think that's not something to be in awe of?" I don't know when, but my own words made me smile. Sora was always just so giving, kind, willing to help whenever anyone looked as though they needed it. That's just how he was. Ever since we were kids, he was always a ray of sunshine looking to help anyone who was within earshot. He managed to find the good in any situation. That was a characteristic of Sora's I had always envied. Even when my life consisted of nothing but darkness… Sora managed to find light.

He blushed a little at my words. How adorable. How could anyone _not_ fall in love with him? It was in that moment that I found my body acting without my consent. I was leaning in, but I failed to realize that until our faces stood only inches apart. But it wasn't me who closed that gap. No, Sora took the initiative. I couldn't fully comprehend it, but I wasn't about to let this moment slip away. He'd been away from me for too long… 2 whole years I went without this kid. I don't care if I'm dreaming, I'm not about to let this opportunity pass me by. I kissed that boy for all I was worth.

Evidently, Sora lost his brain somewhere in that kiss. He suddenly pulled back, wide eyed like a deer in the headlights. His finger tips covered his mouth, gingerly brushing against his wetted lips. Some sort of strangled squeal escaped his lips, his face flushing a deep red. "Ah! Uhm s-sorry… I'm just gonna- ah!" I grabbed his arm as he tried to scramble to his feet. _What an idiot._ I pulled him down until he tumbled into my lap. "Just shut up, okay?" He snuggled into my chest and mumbled in defeat.

-x-X-x-

**_Roxas x Lea_**

"I can't believe you…" Roxas jutted out his bottom lip, pouting rather adorably. His arms crossed across his chest as his feet scuffed at the dirt. I chuckled at his childish reaction.

"What? I thought you'd be happy to see me!" I laughed again as his eyes darted in my direction, wide as saucers. His jaw hung open a little as he fumbled with his words.

"I-I am! But that doesn't mean I wanna do it on top of the clock tower!" His small fist punched me in the arm. Damn kid looked puny, but he packed one hell of a punch.

"Ah! That hurts you know!" I exaggerated the pain by grabbing my arm and hissing through my teeth. He giggled and shook his head as he looked back to his shoes. He kicked a few more rocks before coming to a complete stand still. "Rox? What's the hold up?" I turned around to see him standing in front of a familiar shop. He spoke softly to the woman behind the counter then handed over some Munny he had in his pocket. I cocked my head inquisitively and approached my favorite blond.

"Here, for… ya know, old times sake…" He stuffed a wooden stick into my hand. Looking down, I recognized that icy blue color. Licking up the entire length, I shivered slightly at the nostalgic taste. We both hummed in delight as the salty flavor assaulted our taste buds, only to be struck again by the sweetness.

Under my breath, I thanked him. Roxas nodded, too focused on his ice cream to really form a sentence. I looked out at the familiar town. The train was running through the streets as usual. Nothing changed, really. Sure, at one point we were both gone, never really expecting to be truly alive again. But the world kept moving forward. That's a kind of a crazy thought. You might die, but the world around you doesn't. You were just another body to bury. After a while, you're just memory- if you're lucky. That's why I made it my job to tell everyone it get it memorized. In people's memories, I can live forever. And there'll be a day when this body I'm in will die too. Maybe it'll be today, maybe it'll be 100 years from now. And Roxas too… we're all going to die someday. Even the memory of us, those'll eventually fade as well. It's a bit scary, don't you think? To think that one day, everything you've done, every moment you lived will all be gone and forgotten.

I shook my head to rid myself of such gloomy thoughts. We're alive, that's all that matters right now. I looked over to Roxas, a fond smile pulling at the corners of my mouth. Yeah, this is perfect…

-x-X-x-

**_Myde x Ienzo_**

"Hey, Ienzo?" I called to the smaller boy from my comfortable spot on a beanbag chair. He peered up from his book, eyes just barely peeking above the pages.

"Yes?" His eyebrow twitched quickly, almost inquisitively.

"Do you… hate me?" I chewed the inside of my cheek, immediately regretting asking such a stupid question. _Of course he hates you, you idiot. He's always avoiding you, never looks you in the eyes, never takes the initiative to hang out… Isn't it obvious?_

"Of course I don't. Don't be stupid." His eyes locked back onto the book in his hand, obviously pretending to scan the words that I probably couldn't pronounce. Huh? He didn't hate me? "Why would you even think that?" I looked back to Ienzo, his one visible eye meeting my gaze for once. _Damn._

"Err I-I just figured since you, ya know, don't really seem like you like being around me or whatever…" I trailed off when his cheeks started to redden again. "Hey, you feeling OK?" I shifted from my seat and reached my hand to his forehead. "You're pretty warm. Are you sick or someth-" But before I could finish my question, I felt a pair of lips quickly peck against my own. It was so quick and soft, I thought for a second that it hadn't even happened.

"Does that answer your question?" He sunk into his won beanbag, desperately trying to hide behind his hair and book. Ienzo… _likes _me? Like, _likes_ me likes me? I couldn't stop grinning. Pulling the book from his hands, he made a sound of discomfort. His face was red, like _really_ red. So fucking cute…

"What was that?!" I beamed at him as he continued trying to disappear behind his bangs.

"What do you think." He mumbled as he squirmed in his beanbag. I shook my head, still smiling like an idiot. Reaching my hand toward him again, I pushed the hair from his face.

"You should show your face more often, it's really beautiful." I didn't think it was possible but his cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, making me chuckle victoriously. Before he could retort, I leaned in and planted a more… passionate kiss on his lips. _God that sounded cheesy. Did I really just use the word 'passionate'? Damn Ienzo and him 'widening my vocabulary'. _But whatever, I kissed him the way I had wanted to for like… ever. I kept my hand on his forehead, taming his bangs under my palm.

Maybe I would get a chance to have a love like Axel and Roxas had. Maybe Ienzo could be my prince charming or whatever.

-x-X-x-

**_Roxas x Lea_**

"So am I gonna have to start calling you Lea now?" The blond was licking off the last drops of salty sweet goodness from his popsicle stick. He was smiling adorably like he always does. Roxas was one of those people who were just so amazing that it almost hurt.

"You can call me what ever you want. Lea, Axel, Number 8, Master- which ever you prefer." Roxas's cheeks flushed a deep red, triggering my lips into a victory smirk. _Nailed it._

"I think I'll stick with Axel…" He trailed off and paused for a moment, peaking my curiosity.

"Rox?" I cocked and eyebrow as he shortened the distance between us to mere centimeters. His smaller hand interlocked our fingers, our eyes lazily meeting the other's gaze.

"Or maybe I could just call you my boyfriend…" It came out hinting more toward a question rather than a statement. That's it, I'm dreaming. I've gotta be dreaming. There's no way. This isn't real. Nope. Not possible.

"Roxas, slap me." He took a step back in shock, gawking at me like I had just grown another head.

"What?" I chuckled deep in my throat and lifted his hand by the wrist. Gingerly placing it on my cheek, I mimicked a gentle slap.

"Right here. Lay it on me." His face contorted in confusion as he withdrew his hand.

"No, I'm not gonna slap you! What the hell's wrong with you?" He chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.

"You have to! If you don't then I'll never wake up from this amazing dream and I'll never see the real Roxy again." I was grinning like a madman as Roxas listened to my explanation in utter amusement.

"You're an idiot." His balled fist socked me in the arm like he always did when I said something dumb. I'm surprised my arm isn't permanently damaged. What with all the dumb ass things that have spewed from my mouth and Roxas clobbering me, I ought to have some serious nerve damage or some shit by now.

"Wow…" I breathed through my smile. "So this is real." My tone was more serious than I had intended, but it was seriously astonishing. I still couldn't believe I was here. I still couldn't believe Roxas was here. I still don't understand any of this. How did Roxas come to fall for _me_ of all people? How were we able to actually "meet again in the next life"? How can any of this be real?

"Ax…" He stepped close to me again, tracing random shapes on my chest with his finger. The only shape I could distinguish was a heart over the left side of my shirt. "It doesn't matter _how._" He poked me in the sternum, quite hard actually. "All that matters it that we're back. So _stop worrying about stupid crap." _He enunciated the last five words with sharp jabs to my chest. When he finished abusing me, he looked up and smiled that painfully adorable smile.

"Okay." I didn't mean for it to be a whisper, but that's how it came out. Sometimes this damn kid just takes my breath away. In one swift motion, I grabbed his hand and turned us both so we were headed toward Sunset Station.

"W-where are we going?!" The blond stuttered out in surprise as I dragged him behind me, his shorter legs failing to keep up with my long strides. I chose not to answer him, letting his imagination torture him with the endless possibilities of our destination.

Climbing the few stone stairs, we entered to building and I purchased two tickets to Hollow Bastion. As we waited hand-in-hand on the cold bench in front of the tracks, Roxas squirmed in his seat nervously. "Ax. Hello? Earth to Axel!" His smaller hand waved by my face frantically. I tried so desperately not to crack a smile. "Ugh! Hey!" His fingers snapped before my eyes, my mouth still twitching in amusement. Suddenly, his whole atmosphere changed. His hand gently tapped my arm. When I turned to look at him, innocent puppy-dog eyes stared back at me. "Master?" I chocked on my own saliva. My face went beat red. And Roxas was dying of laughter. _This god damn kid…_

"No fair." I said gruffly, refusing to smile. _But oh sweet baby Jesus that was sexy._ Roxas held his stomach, his forceful laughter clearly getting the best of him. Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, he took deep breaths to attempt to calm himself.

"Yeah but it was funny as hell!" His laughter subsided to a chuckle as he slouched back into the hard wooden bench. "So…" Roxas fumbled with the slip of paper in his hand, fingers trailing over the black font typed onto it. "How come we're going to Hollow Bastion?" I looked down to my own ticket, scanning over the words.

**_Destination: Hollow Bastion_**

**_Departure Time: 11:30 PM_**

**_Arrival Time: 4:45 AM_**

**_Amount Paid: 6,000 Munny_**

I sighed and gave in. "There's some stuff we gotta pick up. After that…" I chewed at my bottom lip nervously. What was I supposed to say? I had no fucking clue where we were supposed to go. It's not like we can go back and live with what's left of Organization XIII. I'm pretty sure we're not welcome back there. God I don't even want to _know_ what kind of reactions we'd get if we showed up on the castle doorstep…

"After that?" Roxas looked at me expectedly. I sighed again and dug the heels of my hands into my eyes.

"I don't know. We don't really have anywhere to go… I never really thought this far ahead. I mean I never thought that you'd actually-"

"Stop. Ax, we'll figure something out. Okay? Just relax. We'll be fine." He didn't sound as certain as his words should have. I nodded and squeezed his hand. "You're too emotional." He chuckled and pushed at my side. Roxas always knows how to make me feel better.

Not too long later, we boarded the train, prepared for the long ride ahead.

I was having this _awesome _dream. It's a bit explicit, so I'll keep it simple. Basically it involved me, Roxas, a bed, and _all day long._ But of course, I just _had_ to get woken up right when things got good. "Hey… wake up." I grumbled and cracked my eyes open to find blue eyes staring back at me. I looked around at the dark train car then back to Roxas.

"We in Hollow Bastion?" My voice was still thick with sleep as I spoke. Roxas nodded and looked out the window to the Bailey.

"We'll be at the station in like 5 minutes." Cocking an eyebrow and pulling his lips into a smile, Roxas gawked at me. "You have a nice dream or something?" Recollecting my previous dream, I smiled wider.

"You have no idea." I think I frightened Roxas a little with the sheer seductiveness in my voice. He stuttered a little, cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Punching me in the arm for the thousandth time since he'd been back, I sat up and stretched my limbs.

"Jeez, I haven't been on this long of a ride since I woke up and went to get you back." We both frowned a little at the thought of what we both went through.

"What did you do?" I turned back to Roxas, jutting a short eyebrow toward my hairline.

"What do you mean?" The blond picked at a loose seam on his pants, avoiding eye contact.

"You never told me what you did when you were trying to bring me back." I sighed and reviewed the past 2 years in my mind.

"Well, I woke up along with the other members of the Organization. When I couldn't find you, I went to a few different worlds looking for any clues as to where Ansem the Wise-Ass might be. Ended up back here in Hollow Bastion. Made him help me, went to Destiny Islands, and got Kairi to submit to Namine. After that, we found Sora and his pet, Riku, and got them to help out. Sora agreed to go to sleep in order to rearrange you guys's chain of memories. And I guess you know the rest." Roxas stared back at me, mouth slightly agape.

"W-why did you go through all that trouble?" I scoffed in disbelief.

"Are you dense?" I chuckled as his eye brows twitched and wriggled with confusion. Scooting closer to the blond, I took his hands in my own. Rubbing my thumbs over his, I looked back into his captivatingly blue eyes. Grinning like an idiot, I told him exactly why I had done so much to have him right where he was. "I love you. Why else?" He smiled ear to ear and wrapped his arms around my neck.

"You're an idiot." Anyone else would be confused. But I know this kid too well. In Roxas-language, that translates to "I love you."

-x-X-x-

The train screeched to a halt as we pulled into the station. Axel, or Lea- I'm still confused on that one- dragged me by the hand toward the large castle-like building. Pushing past the doors, he headed straight down the hall to a wooden door. As we entered the room, he released my hand and immediately swooped up whatever he deemed important. I watched as he shoved various articles of clothing and random objects into a duffle bag. Pawing through the closet, he tossed me one and told me to pack. "I don't have any clothes…" Flinging the nearest drawer open, he motioned toward it. "There ya go. Now you have clothes. Pack 'em up blondie." I rolled my eyes at the 'blondie' nickname and shoved handfuls of clothing into the bag.

Slinging the full duffle bag over my shoulder I called to Axel who was gathering things from the bathroom. "I'm done packing!" I heard a few bottles fall and crash onto the tile floor. "Ah! Shit! Okay one sec!" I walked to the bathroom door and stood in the entry way. "What's the rush?" I shifted the bag on my shoulder and eyed the frantic redhead. "Huh? Oh just ya know…" He trailed off and threw a bottle of shampoo into his bag. What the hell?

"Alright! Good to go!" He pushed past me and grabbed a familiar long black coat. Another coat was tossed to me. I scanned it in absolute confusion. "How did you get my coat?! I left with it on then…" I thought back to my last hazy moments of wearing it.

"It's not yours, it's Zexion's. I found yours in the Mansion, but it was torn all to hell." I ran my finger along the smooth chains that hung on the chest. "Put it on. Wouldn't want you to get consumed by darkness." I looked back to the lanky redhead, clad in his Organization coat.

"What? Where are we going?" I dropped the duffle bag and slid the leather-like material of the coat over my shoulders. Zipping up the oversized zipper, I looked back up to find a familiar swirl of darkness. A corridor? We could still open those?

"Come on." And with that, his back turned to me and he stepped into the dark and disappeared. Swooping up my bag, I ran after him.

-x-X-x-

"Axel…?" I looked around at the unsettlingly familiar scenery. When he refused to acknowledge my curiosity, I pressed on. "Why are we _here_?" Still silence.

"ROXAS!" I felt arms wrap around my waist from the back as a body crashed into me. I shrieked and attempted to free myself. I felt Axel slap away the arms that encased me. I turned around and came face to face with my counterpart. "Sora…"

"What are you doing on Destiny Islands?!" I looked around at the topical world then back to my boyfriend. I had only one question on my mind.

"What _are _we doing here…?"


	18. This Is Only The Beginning

**Chapter 18**

**"This is Only the Beginning"**

**Author's note: This is it, it's the last chapter. I'm so glad that so many of you liked this story! The idea for "See Ya Buddy" came to me after replaying Kingdom Hearts 2 and 358/2 Days. I always wanted Axel/Lea to successfully bring Roxas back. I couldn't wait for Nomura to finally release KH3 and ****_maybe_**** resolve this. So, I took it upon myself to create that adventure that I know a lot of KH fans wanted to see. Thank you so much for all the kind words throughout these 18 chapters! "See Ya Buddy" may be ending, but it's not the end of me. If you liked this story, go check out my other stories. A few are on hiatus because "See Ya Buddy" was more popular, but now I'll have more time to work on those. If you want smutty Kingdom Hearts BL fluff, you've come to the right author! **

**Thank you so much and enjoy the final chapter!**

**-Demikkusu/OtakuScum 3**

"Why _are _we here?" I looked to the red head beside me and got no more than a shrug of his shoulders. I sighed and turned back to my counterpart, Sora. "Is there somewhere we can stay for a little while or…" A wide, toothy grin split his face like the Grand Canyon.

"Yes! Of course! You can stay with me and Riku! It'll be so much fun! We can watch movies and make cookies and- mmrph!" Sora was cut short by Riku's hand. Sora tugged at the hand covering his mouth, only to be overpowered by Riku's immense strength. His hand never even budged.

"We've got an extra room if you guys want to crash there for a while." He glanced back at the brunette and the corners of his mouth twitched into what I could only assume was a smile. Looking back toward us, he shot daggers with his eyes in the direction of my boyfriend. "As long as you won't be any trouble." I looked up at Axel, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth. Great…

-x-X-x-

"…and then we built this raft! Riku did most of the work though. We planned on seeing all the different worlds. But then, this HUGE storm came and this guy in like a burlap sack thing-" I cut in when I couldn't take it anymore.

"Do Axel and Riku hate each other?" Sora looked me over a bit worriedly.

"What are you talking about?" His artificial smile could be spotted a mile away. He chuckled nervously and kicked some sand with his bare foot. Looking out to the vast ocean, he sighed and took a seat on the beach. I followed his actions and slumped into the warm sand. It all felt strangely familiar; the sand, the sea, those star-shaped fruits, the raft… It was odd, even if those memories of Sora's were stopped away, the remnants were still left in my head. That kid in my dreams, the one who lived in this place, he was right next to me. It was all just so… _crazy_ I guess you could say.

"They always glare at each other. Did something happen between them? I feel like Riku doesn't really like me that much either…" I buried my hands into the sand, soaking in the sun that locked itself into each grain. Sora sighed and laid back to look up at the sky, his hands tucked carelessly behind his head.

"When me and you were, like, in the same body, Axel really wanted to get you back. Evidently he wasn't gonna let anything stop him from doing it either. From what I've heard, he was gonna turn me into a heartless so you would be brought back." He grabbed fistfuls of sand and slowly let each grain slip through his fingers. "I don't blame him." My head whipped back to Sora, my eyes wide as saucers.

"Why? You're more important than I am… I mean, you're the hero everyone always talks about. You saved the worlds from darkness more than once. You've done all this awesome stuff while me… All I did was make it harder for you."

"Roxas…" He sounded on the verge of tears. He really is too nice for his own good.

"I helped the Organization collect hearts for Kingdom Hearts. I inadvertently helped them try and make you a vessel for their plan to make a bunch of Xehanorts." My voice wavered as tears bubbled in my eyes. I _really_ fucked up, why are people still nice to me?

"Roxas, you didn't know. You thought what you did in the Organization was gonna get you a heart of your own." He sat up and scooted closer, smacking me lightly on the back. "But you can't replace what you never lost, right?" He beamed back at me, immediately refreshing my mood.

-x-X-x-

The setting sun felt nice here. It was different from Twilight Town. I can't explain it it just feels… different. I planted my hands into the sand and swirled them around. I had never been to a place like this before. _I wonder if the water is warm…_ Kicking off my shoes and socks, I made my way toward the ocean. The waves rolled in softly, just gently kissing the shoreline. I cautiously dipped my toe in. _It's so warm!_ Taking a few steps in, I submerged my feet in the salty water. Why would Sora, Riku, and Kairi ever want to leave this place? It's paradise!

The soft thud of footsteps on sand came from behind me. As I started to turn my head toward the sound, lanky arms wrapped around me from behind, a thin body crashing into my back soon after. I gasped in surprise and turned around in their arms.. I came face to face with Axel. _I should have known…_

He pulled me flush against his body and nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck. He started giggling, a weird sound for such a person.

"Hey, can you feel that?" Came his muffled words.

"What?" I tipped my head down only to be met with a mouthful of Axel's hair.

"I can feel your heart beating." He hugged me tighter then released me, but keeping me only a few inches away. "I wonder if it was there all along and we just never noticed." His hand ghosted to my chest and pressed down over the left side. "I mean, everyone told us we were heartless, why would we bother to check?" His finger tapped along with the steady beat of my heart. "I know, I'm rambling." He grinned sheepishly and removed his hand.

Pressing my own hand to his chest, I looked up to him. "I can feel yours too… your heart…" I lifted myself to my tiptoes and places a kiss on his lips. "Your heart's beating faster." I pulled back and smirked devilishly as Axel's face tinted an almost undetectable shade of pink.

"Shut up." I chuckled and brought us both back to the warm sand. We sat just close enough for the incoming waves to brush the tips of our toes.

"This is the place, the one I told you about- from my dreams." My eyes scanned the horizon stretching along the ocean. "It's really weird being here." I chuckled and glanced over to Axel who sat beside me. His eyes were already on me. At the realization he'd been caught staring, he just smirked. "Like what you see, ginger?" He lifted his short eyebrows incredulously and smiled.

"Ginger?" He scoffed the nickname and shook his head. He looked back at me pointedly and put on the most serious face he could muster up. "Blondie." My lips sputtered and I broke into laughter. Axel followed and doubled over. We both dropped onto our backs and stared up at the warmly tinted sky.

"I-I think I prefer Axel and Roxas." I managed to say through my laughter. And as usual, the mood completely changed thanks to Axel. His eyelids lowered along with his voice. "Oh reallyyyy?" He stretched the word, making me swallow the lump in my throat. "You like my name?" His eyebrows quickly flicked toward his hairline a few times in a suggestive way. "You think its sexy?" He grinned and scooted uncomfortably close. "You think _I'm _sexy?" I tried to answer but my voice caught in my throat. His eyebrows cocked as he waited for my answer.

Pushing through my embarrassment, I managed to mumble "yes." He fell silent for a moment before he burst into a fit of laughter.

"You're too much kid." He chuckled and playfully slapped my upper arm. We just laid there for a while, staring at each other, completely silent. This was perfect. It didn't matter where we ended up anymore. As long as I had Axel and he had me, I didn't care what life threw at us.

This isn't a story with a happy ending though. This is a new beginning, a fresh start. This is our happy beginning. And it starts…

**_Now._**


End file.
